US to Expand Training of Taiwanese Forces

The United States is planning to boost the number of American troops training Taiwanese forces on the island, according to U.S. officials. The move will launch in the coming months and will see troop numbers jump four-fold, from the current 30 up to 200. Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen touched on the island's military cooperation with Washington earlier this week when she received a U.S. congressional delegation. In recent months, the United States has strengthened its posture around Taiwan, bolstering forces at nearby U.S. naval bases in Japan and Guam. But even a modest increase in the number of troops in Taiwan could ramp up tensions with China. Only a small number of U.S. special operations forces have been rotating into Taiwan. They're stationed there on a temporary basis to train the island's forces. The Pentagon declined to comment on the troop expansion, but said U.S. support for Taiwan "remains aligned against the current threat posed by the People's Republic of China."