Pushing the dragon: US tests China with special forces training in Taiwan

For the first time in 40 years, Taiwan has confirmed that a contingent of US special forces is on the island to train its troops.

It is a move that could increase tensions with Beijing.

A statement from the Taiwan Naval Command marks the first time high-level military cooperation has been admitted in decades, reports Taiwan News.

“In order to maintain regional peace and stability, the military and security cooperation and exchanges between Taiwan and the United States are proceeding normally,” Naval Command said in a statement.

US special forces groups attending annual joint training operations in the tiny democracy is nothing new. What is new is the recognition of the arrangement.

“This is the first public confirmation of US military exchanges involving US Marines in Taiwan since the cessation of diplomatic relations between Taiwan and the United States in 1979,” reports the national news service.

Beijing has so far refrained from commenting on what is a direct slap in the face of Taiwan’s aggressive assimilation message from its diplomatic “wolf warriors.”

But the move comes as the island nation of 20 million people reacts with growing alarm to Beijing’s brutal crackdown on Hong Kong and a dramatic increase in Chinese military activity around its borders.

Force ‘trigger’

The Communist Party-controlled Global Times news service quoted a defense analyst as saying: “The presence of the US military in Taiwan used to be an open secret, and neither side actively publicized related events.

“But this time, Taiwan announced it prominently because the DPP wanted to give the impression that it has the support of the United States, no matter who wins the American election.”

The response is tame compared to the messages from the Communist Party in September.

“The return of US forces to Taiwan will bring about reunification by force,” declared the Global Times.

The US military presence, however, is only temporary.

The Taiwanese Marines will reportedly work with the US Marine Raider special operations unit for the next four weeks at the Tsoying naval base in Kaohsiung district. The US Marines underwent a two-week Covid-19 hotel quarantine before being released for the exercise.

Much of the operation will be carried out at sea and along the coast. The troops will use new assault ships and personal equipment. The Taiwanese military has intensified its preparations to resist an invasion, with exercises that include urban warfare and dispersal tactics.

The presence of the US Marines is not the only joint exercise with Taiwan this year. Frogmen in the United States Navy train their counterparts annually in Operation Flash Tamper.

The annual Balance Tamper exercise places the US Army Green Berets special forces among the elements of the ROC Army Aviation and Special Forces Command.

While these are also not publicly recognized, the US Army released a video earlier this year showing a specialized recon unit working with Taiwanese troops.

But analysts have pointed to the timing of the US Marines’ visit.

Taipei has invested an additional $ 29 million (NZ $ 42 million) in modernizing and strengthening its small naval force. The unit is expected to defend the assets of the East and South China Sea islands of Taiwan, as well as carry out counter-terrorism and counter-raid operations.

Crisis management

Washington formally recognized control of Beijing by the Chinese Communist Party in 1979. Since then, it has adopted a policy of diplomatic ambiguity over Taiwan’s sovereignty.

The “One nation, two systems” argument was accepted in the hope of further encouraging Beijing to open up and engage with the world economy.

With the rise of China’s president for life, Xi Jinping, those hopes have turned sour.

In late October, US and Chinese military commanders held talks to establish channels for “crisis communications” in the event of an “event” in the disputed South and East Seas of China.

The two-day video conference also addressed Beijing’s fears that Washington was about to launch a sudden drone attack on its illegal artificial island fortresses in the South China Sea.

“The two sides agreed on the importance of establishing mechanisms for timely communication during a crisis, as well as the need to maintain regular communication channels to prevent crises and conduct a post-crisis assessment,” said a Pentagon statement.

Meanwhile, Beijing has been hardening the language used to communicate its demand that democratic Taiwan be insulated from international trade, diplomacy and defense networks.

“If the United States deploys troops to Taiwan, it not only breaks the three fundamental joint communiqués for diplomatic relations between China and the United States, but also activates articles in the China Anti-Secession Law and allows the state to employ non-peaceful means and other necessary measures. to protect China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, “Communist Party military television commentator Song Zhongping said in September.

“Despite that, the US has been improving military cooperation with the island of Taiwan, including sending military consultants, the US military has remained cautious in stationing troops on the island because it knows that this kind of action will send China-US relations -Level 1979, a state of confrontation. “