Tsai: Taiwan does not seek confrontation

Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen on Friday had tough talk for Beijing after a recent surge in Chinese aircraft flying into the island's air defense zone.

"Taiwan does not seek military confrontation. It hopes for a peaceful, stable, predictable and mutually beneficial co-existence with its neighbours. But Taiwan will also do whatever it takes to defend its freedom and democratic way of life."

Taiwan has been seeking the support of other democracies as a stand-off with China worsens...

This week, it's hosting a group of French senators and former Australian leader Tony Abbott.

Beginning last Friday, around 150 Chinese warplanes - a new high in cross-strait tensions - flew sorties near Taiwan.

Although that appears to have ended, Taiwan has complained of activities like that for more than a year, calling it "grey zone warfare."

Taiwan says that's designed to wear out the island's armed forces and test their ability to respond.

China claims Taiwan as its own territory.

The self-ruled island is seeking a bump in its defense budget over the next five years, mostly for naval weapons.

And now, sources told Reuters small numbers of U.S. special operations soldiers have been rotating into Taiwan to train Taiwanese forces.

They declined to say how long this had been going on - but suggested it predated the Biden administration.

The Wall Street Journal also published details on the training, citing unnamed U.S. officials, on Thursday.

The Pentagon, which in the past hasn't disclosed details about U.S. training or advising of Taiwanese forces, did not comment on the deployment.