Pentagon, Taipei Deny Report US Marines Training Taiwan Troops

Reports that U.S. Marines have been sent to Taiwan to train troops has been denied by both the Pentagon and Taiwan's Defense Minister, according to reports.

A Pentagon official called the report "inaccurate," while the island's Ministry of National Defense called the claim "not true," according to Newsweek.

"The United States remains committed to our One-China Policy," Pentagon spokesperson John Supple said in a statement, per the report. "U.S. actions are guided by the Taiwan Relations Act and based on an assessment of Taiwan's defense needs, as has been the case for more than 40 years.

"The United States will continue to make available to Taiwan such defense articles and defense services in such quantity as may be necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain sufficient self-defense capabilities."

Taipei-based United Daily News first noted U.S. Marine Raiders were invited to the island for a four-week training session, overseeing Taiwanese Marines in training amphibious assault operations and speedboat infiltration techniques.

"Reports of U.S. Marines training Taiwanese Marines in Taiwan are not true," according to Taiwan's defense ministry spokesperson Shih Shun-wen. "Also, the Navy did not confirm the content of the reports."

Taiwan's Naval Command issued a statement about American troops at Tsoying Naval Base in Kaohsiung, a southwestern port city.

"In order to maintain regional peace and stability, routine security cooperation and exchanges between the militaries of Taiwan and the United States are proceeding as usual," the statement read, per the report.

A member of President Tsai Ing-wen's Democratic Progressive Party, Chao Tien-lin reportedly called the reports a "warning" to China.

"The U.S. Marines are definitely in Taiwan," he said, per Newsweek. "We are carrying out deep military exchanges.

"International relations are an art form. That this is all very imprecise, I believe, is where the art is."

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