Taiwan 'has faith' in US backing if China attacks: President

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has revealed for the first time that US troops have been training the Taiwanese military on the island, and asserted that she 'had faith' that there would be American backing in the case of a Chinese attack on the island nation in an interview to CNN.

The comments from Tsai came after US President Joe Biden rebuked Beijing over its actions near Taiwan at a virtual East Asia summit attended by China's premier. China has been increasingly demonstrating military aggression by flying warplanes into Taiwanese airspace, as Beijing considers Taiwan as a part of China that must be reconciled with the mainland, by force if necessary.

Although Biden had announced the US intent to defend Taiwan from Chinese agression, pressure from Beijing quickly made the US revert to more ambiguous statements about its role in the conflict. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday reiterated that the United States still recognised only Beijing, but he emphasized Taiwan's democratic credentials in asking that it be allowed a greater involvement in UN agencies.

"Taiwan's meaningful participation in the UN system is not a political issue, but a pragmatic one," Blinken said. Meanwhile Taiwan's participation in the UN has been strongly opposed by China. In the interview to CNN, President Ing-wen said that she willing to talk to Xi Jinping and 'set aside differences' in order to gain a better understanding of each other, and to make arrangements for peaceful co-existence.