FILE - In this Sept. 15, 2021, file photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, second from right, watches as a military jet taxis along a highway in Jiadong, Taiwan. Taiwan's Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said that Taiwan must defend itself Thursday morning, Oct. 28, 2021 and could not completely depend on others, after the island's President said she had faith the U.S. would defend the island if China made a move.
Taiwan-China conflict: Days after US President Joe Biden assured that Washington was committed to coming to the defence of Taiwan in case of Chinese aggression, the island's President Tsai Ing-wen has confirmed the presence of American troops on Taiwanese soil. In an interview with CNN, the top Taiwan leader described her nation as a 'beacon' of democracy.
Tsai Ing-wen is the first Taiwanese leader in decades to publically admit the presence of US troops for training, however, she stopped short of disclosing the number of personnel. "We have a wide range of cooperation with the US aiming at increasing our defense capability," she told CNN.
On the possibility of talks with China
Although tensions between China and Taiwan have increased substantially in the past few weeks, Tsai Ing-wen said she is ready to sit across the table for talks with President Xi Jinping if he is willing.
"We have said again and again that we want to have dialogue with China and this is the best way to avoid misunderstanding, miscalculation and misjudgment in the management of the cross-strait relations," she said.
What Joe Biden said on 'protecting' Taiwan
During CNN's Town Hall last week, President Biden was asked whether the US would come to the rescue of Taiwan if China attacks the island nation. "Yes, we have a commitment to do that," the US President had said.
Biden has made similar statements in the past, only to have the White House say longstanding US policy had not changed toward the island.
The US provides Taiwan defensive weapons, but has remained intentionally ambiguous on whether it would intervene militarily in the event of a Chinese attack, a CNN report said.
In recent weeks, Beijing has sent dozens of warplanes near into Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), and Chinese President Xi Jinping has said that "reunification" between China and Taiwan was inevitable.
(With inputs from agencies)
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