The U.S. has plans to quadruple its military presence in Taiwan. According to U.S. officials, one year ago, there were 30 U.S. troops on the island. Now, the U.S. plans to deploy between 100 and 200 troops to Taiwan in the coming months.
The increase in personnel is meant to bolster a training program to ready Taiwan forces in case of a Chinese invasion. The U.S. deployment to Taiwan is the largest in decades.
The announcement of more troops to Taiwan comes as relations between the U.S. and China have been deteriorating.
China was upset with the U.S. over Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan when she was Speaker of the House in 2022. China responded by conducting military drills over Taiwan last year.
More recently, tensions have risen over Chinese spy balloons entering U.S. airspace.
As the U.S. and China position themselves further and further apart, Taiwan’s sovereignty remains a major issue between the countries.