Tsai confident US will come to Taiwan's aid if China invades
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TAIPEI • Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has said she is confident the United States would come to the island's defence if China tried to invade, a comment bound to irk Beijing.
"I do have faith, given the long-term relationship that we have with the US and also the support of the people of the US as well as the Congress," she said in an interview with CNN that aired yesterday. "The administration has been very helpful."
Ms Tsai added that the "threat from China is increasing every day" and confirmed the presence of US troops in Taiwan, although she said there were "not as many as people thought".
US Department of Defence records show troops on the self-ruled island rose to 32 this year from 10 in 2018, CNN reported.
When asked about Ms Tsai's comments on US troops, Taiwan Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng told lawmakers: "There are some US military personnel in Taiwan helping with training short term, but it's not troops stationed in Taiwan. There are no US troops stationed in Taiwan."
Taiwan has become a flashpoint in already tense US-China ties, with US President Joe Biden facing growing calls to clarify the US' commitment to defending the island as Chinese President Xi Jinping ramps up diplomatic, economic and military pressure on the island's democratically elected government.
Beijing said yesterday it opposed military ties between Washington and Taiwan. "We firmly oppose any form of official exchanges and military contacts between the United States and Taiwan, oppose US interference in China's internal affairs, and attempts to provoke and stir up trouble," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin.
Ms Tsai's comments are the first time a Taiwanese leader has publicly made such an admission since the last US garrison left in 1979 when Washington switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing.
"The 'one China' principle is the political foundation of China-US relations," Mr Wang added. "The US should not underestimate the strong determination of the Chinese people to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity."
BLOOMBERG, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE