US, Taiwan navies quietly held drills - Reuters

The U.S. and Taiwanese navies conducted joint exercises in the Pacific Ocean in April that were not officially held, citing four people briefed on the matter, Reuters reports, indicating that this comes as the two militaries are stepping up cooperation amid growing military threats from China, UNN writes.

Details

Washington and Taipei, as noted, have been expanding their military cooperation in recent years amid China's almost daily incursions into Taiwan's air defense identification zone and Chinese military exercises near the island.

Military interaction between the United States and Taiwan, including visits and exercises, remains low-key and often unofficially confirmed due to China's objection to any military contact between Washington and Taipei. China considers democratically governed Taiwan to be its own territory, which the island strongly rejects.

The exercises, which were not disclosed, took place last month in the western Pacific, according to the newspaper's sources.

One source said that "several military assets" were involved. A second source said that the exercise was not officially a drill and was described as "unplanned maritime clashes," indicating a tacit agreement in which both sides claim that the exercise was simply the result of accidental collisions.

"It's like I'm having lunch in this restaurant, and you're here too," the source said. - "Then it looks like I'm only sharing a table with someone else.

The source also reported that about half a dozen warships from both sides, including frigates and supply and resupply vessels, participated in the multi-day exercise, which was designed to practice "basic" operations such as communications, refueling, and resupply.

The Taiwanese navy said in a statement to Reuters that to respond to unforeseen scenarios at sea and minimize "interference" with each other, the naval forces "act in accordance with the US-promoted Code of Unplanned Encounters at Sea," also known as CUES.

"The navy often comes into contact with other countries' ships and conducts collision training when necessary," the statement said, without going into details.

The Pentagon declined to comment.

Taiwan and the United States do not have official diplomatic relations, as Washington formally recognizes Beijing, but is legally obliged to provide Taiwan with self-defense capabilities and is the island's most important international patron, the newspaper notes.

A third source said that while the "unplanned clashes" between the two navies involved mostly basic exercises, such exercises are vital to ensure that the two armies can work together in an emergency.

The source added that the two fleets also practiced various tactical maneuvers, including searching for underwater targets.

The Chinese Ministry of Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Taiwanese Navy Chief Tang Hua visited the United States last month and discussed how to boost bilateral naval cooperation, Reuters reports. In response, China's Foreign Ministry said it strongly opposes "military collusion" between the United States and Taiwan.

China has long claimed that Taiwan is China's most sensitive territorial issue, which is a major bone of contention in Sino-US relations. Beijing has not ruled out the use of force to take control of Taiwan, while Taipei says Chinese territorial claims are null and void because the People's Republic of China has never ruled the island, the newspaper points out.