TAIPEI
Taiwan’s cooperation with the United States may be closer than many imagine, the island’s Defence Minister Wellington Koo said on Friday, as it strives to deepen military exchanges with the U.S. Pacific Command to boost defence capabilities.
The command helps maintain peace and security in the Indo-Pacific, Koo said, and it views Taiwan as occupying a key position in the first island chain that stretches from Japan through Taiwan and the Philippines.
Our cooperation with the United States may be far closer than many people imagine, Koo said in an interview with a small group of reporters, as he voiced gratitude for Washington’s support. We continue to enhance our defensive combat capabilities through military exchanges and cooperation with the Pacific Command at all levels.
Such efforts have helped Taiwan boost its defensive combat capabilities through military exchanges, he said. The United States is Taiwan’s most important international backer and arms supplier, despite a lack of formal diplomatic ties.
China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory despite the island’s rejection of the sovereignty claim, has repeatedly denounced military exchanges between Taipei and Washington.
China has stepped up military pressure around Taiwan, including coast guard operations off its Pacific coast, an area Taiwan sees as vital for wartime supplies from allies.
The effort has spurred drills by Taipei simulating Chinese escalation, including the prospect of a blockade. Koo said a Chinese blockade of Taiwan would carry major risks for Beijing, which relies on external trade and the importance of its ports to global shipping.