US and Taiwan Reportedly Conduct Secret Military Drills

“…we have gained so much practical combat experience from the United States.”

Washington (ANTARA) - Taiwan’s defence authority Wellington Koo said that Taiwan’s leadership has been conducting joint military exercises with the United States, information that has long been kept secret from the public.

Military cooperation between Taiwan and the US is closer than might be imagined, Koo told journalists on Friday (31/7), as quoted by The Wall Street Journal on Monday.

“The public may only see arms sales, but in fact this is multifaceted and involves many other things. Through military exchanges, we have gained so much practical combat experience from the United States,” Koo explained.

The Taiwanese minister’s remarks are reported to reflect Taiwan’s growing willingness to disclose information about joint military exercises with the US, which have until now been kept confidential.

For context, China has repeatedly urged the US to stop selling weapons to Taiwan, triggering tensions in the Taiwan Strait.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that US military interactions with Taiwan, as well as arms sales by the US to the authorities on the island, constitute a serious violation of the ‘One China’ principle and the China-US joint communiqués.

This is also regarded as a violation of China’s sovereignty and security interests, and as a disruption to stability in the Taiwan Strait.