The Wall Street Journal on Thursday (February 23) quoted US military sources as saying that the number of US troops stationed in Taiwan will quadruple to 100 to 200 in the next few months. At a time when the U.S. government’s support for Taiwan is becoming more and more firm, the U.S. military expansion plan has attracted the support of many people. But there are also concerns that China will see this as a provocation, raising tensions between the United States and China.

The “Wall Street Journal” reported that the additional US military officers and soldiers will expand the current training program for the Taiwan military, so that the Taiwan military has the stronger self-defense capabilities it needs.
“Fine, now let’s skip the bureaucracy and give Taiwan the equipment they need,” tweeted Representative Mike Waltz, a Republican in Congress from Florida.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman (Wendy Sherman) said earlier this month that China’s provocative actions are undermining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and the U.S. will continue to deepen unofficial relations with Taiwan and assist Taiwan in maintaining sufficient self-defense ability.

The United States currently has only 30 military personnel in Taiwan. Jacob Stokes (Jacob Stokes), a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security think tank, believes that even if the number of troops is expanded to 200, it is not too much.

“So there are more US troops in Taiwan, but not yet a substantial presence,” he wrote.
Although some experts are not satisfied with the current level of US military assistance to Taiwan, they are optimistic about this new development.

“While things are frustratingly slow, these are some very encouraging developments. Fantastic,” said Rebeccah Heinrichs of the Hudson Center’s Advanced Research Group.
The “Wall Street Journal” reported in 2021 that a small number of US troops were in Taiwan to help train Taiwanese troops. Beijing said at the time it would take unspecified corresponding measures to safeguard its interests. This time, the Wall Street Journal’s disclosure of the new US military plan may trigger a similar reaction from Beijing.

China expert Bill Bishop wrote: “It is likely that the media exposure of this matter will force a greater response from Beijing.”
U.S.-China relations have been at a relatively tense stage after the U.S. shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon a few weeks ago. China released a report this week criticizing the United States for its “hegemony, hegemony, bullying and its harm” and blamed the United States for the war in Ukraine.

Some observers worry that this deployment of the US military will further anger China.

“This is the risk we should be taking with regard to Taiwan,” wrote Elbridge Colby, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense and co-founder of the national security think tank Marathon Initiative. We should be prepared to make Beijing unhappy, but steps must be taken to strengthen Taiwan’s defenses. We should avoid symbolic provocations while we are still vulnerable and building up our capabilities.”
Stephen Roach, a professor at Yale Law School, also questioned whether the surge would start a war.

“This is the latest turn in America’s Taiwan independence movement, and the drums are getting louder,” he wrote.
But Chris Fenton, a U.S.-China expert and filmmaker, pointed out that the story is only as good as it is viewed from.

“In Beijing’s eyes, it’s status escalation. In Taipei’s eyes, it’s friendly support.”

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