Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen revealed that the threat of China attacking the island nation was growing "every day" and confirmed that United States troops were present in the region, ready to defend and support its people from any hostilities.
In an interview on Tuesday, Tsai said that Taiwan was a "beacon" of democracy that needed to be defended so that people worldwide could keep their faith in democratic values. The official said that the island was home to roughly 23 million people who were working hard every day to protect themselves and their democracy. She noted that it was her and her government's job to maintain the freedom that the people deserved.
Taiwan-US Against China
Tsai argued that should Taiwan fall to the hands of China and become a part of the mainland, the people who believed in democratic values would doubt what they should be fighting for. Since the Nationalists retreated to Taiwan at the end of the Chinese civil war some seven decades ago, the region's democracy has flourished.
However, Beijing's Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has continued to view the island as part of its territory and is an inseparable part of the mainland. Recent events have caused the relationship between Taipei and Beijing to be at their lowest in decades, CNN reported.
While Tsai confirmed that American soldiers were currently residing on Taiwanese soil, she did not reveal precisely how many troops were on the island. The soldiers are believed to be conducting training activities in the face of rising Chinese aggression.
The Taiwanese president said that the island had a good relationship with the United States and worked together to increase defensive capabilities against potential attacks. Examples of recent incidents that have strained relationships between the two Asian regions are the two times when China flew warplanes near Taiwan's airspace.
Since roughly a year ago, the United States has continued to support Taiwan, sending roughly two dozen special operations troops and support troops to the island. The efforts come as Tsai worries about China's continued aggression. "If it's a threat from China, it's increasing every day," she said, Yahoo News reported.
Chinese Incursions
Tsai also said that she had faith in the United States that its government would help defend Taiwan against any Chinese attack. When asked about America's stance in the Taiwan-China controversy, Tsai said she was confident that the U.S. government would support her and her region.
The Taiwanese president's comments came after the Ministry of National Defense reported that another three Chinese warplanes crossed the region's air defense identification zone (ADIZ). The incident marks the fourth consecutive day that China has inched closer to the island using its military planes.
The statement revealed that the fleet included two People's Liberation Army Shenyang J-11 fighters and one Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare plane. The aircraft reportedly flew into the southwestern corner of the ADIZ.
The Taiwanese government decided to send an aircraft to broadcast radio warnings and deploy its air defense missile systems to ward off the Chinese planes. This year alone, Taiwan recorded a total of 680 incursions as of Wednesday, Aljazeera reported.
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