The United States and Japan plan to join forces if a crisis arises around Taiwan. US Marines will set up temporary bases in the Ryukyu Islands under a draft proposal if the situation escalates, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported.
This is based on anonymous sources within the government.
The Ryukyu Islands are located between the main Japanese island and Taiwan. According to Kyodo, the preliminary proposal states that Japanese forces will support the Americans on those islands during a Taiwan crisis. They will then supply ammunition and fuel, for example. It is expected that a final plan can be drawn up early next year.
The democratically governed Taiwan is seen by China as its own territory. As a result, the People’s Communist Republic is trying to isolate the island diplomatically and has also stepped up military pressure by flying bombers over Taiwan in recent years. This is a major concern internationally.
Most countries in the world have no official diplomatic ties with Taiwan, which is formally known as the Republic of China. Nationalist Chinese had fled to that island in the 1940s after losing a civil war to the communists in mainland China. They, in turn, established the People’s Republic of China.
The US does not formally have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but it is the largest arms supplier to the island. Moreover, US President Joe Biden has previously pledged to protect the island. Still, it is unclear how far Washington really wants to go in Chinese military aggression against Taiwan.
