WSJ: US "quadrupling" Taiwan soldiers

(RT) ⸻ Washington is planning to send between 100 and 200 troops to Taiwan to train its military against a hypothetical "Chinese invasion" in the coming months, according to the Wall Street Journal. The deployment will more than quadruple the US military presence on the island, with 23 American soldiers in Taiwan as of autumn 2022. The new troops will also train the Taiwanese in tactics to protect against a potential Chinese offensive. There are also Taiwanese troops in the US, with "a contingent" training alongside the Michigan National Guard in the north of that state. The Pentagon said its commitment to Taiwan is "rock-solid" and that the US remains aligned against the current threat posed by the People's Republic of China. The expanded training is intended to "thwart a possible invasion by China" and has been planned for months. China has repeatedly warned the US against arming Taiwan and warned Washington to abide by the treaties and agreements governing their relationship. Taiwan has been a point of contention between China and the US since 1949, when the Communists won the civil war against the Kuomintang. The People's Republic of China has pointed to Taiwan's status as Chinese territory for over 200 years before it was ceded to Japan as a war trophy in 1895. Beijing seeks to reunite what it calls a renegade island with the mainland by peaceful means.