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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 Ma misrepresented US ties: DPP
Former president Ma Ying-jeou talks to reporters outside the Chinese Nationalist Party’s （KMT） National Congress yesterday in Taipei. Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
QUESTIONING STANDARDS: After a KMT legislator said that Tsai had endangered Taiwan, Chen Ting-fei asked why the KMT did not also condemn China’s aggression
By Jason Pan / Staff reporter
Democratic Progressive Party （DPP） lawmakers yesterday accused former president Ma Ying-jeou （馬英九） of misrepresenting the Taiwan-US military relationship, after he said he knew that US troops have been in Taiwan for years.
During the Chinese Nationalist Party （KMT） National Congress yesterday, Ma told reporters that he knew about the presence of US military personnel in Taiwan during his presidency from 2008 to 2016.
“From my understanding, at the present time in Taiwan, they are mainly US military advisers, not troop units,” he said.
Although officials should tread lightly when discussing the issue, now that it is widely known, it did not matter whether he talked about it openly, he added.
He was referring to comments by President Tsai Ing-wen （蔡英文） in an interview with CNN that aired on Thursday.
“We have a wide range of cooperation with the US aiming at increasing our defense capability,” she said, adding that a small number of US military personnel were in Taiwan to train with Taiwanese soldiers.
She said that the threat from China was “increasing every day,” and that her administration was trying to make the country stronger in all aspects to defend it against increasing Chinese military power.
On the same day, Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng （邱國正） said that Taiwan-US military interactions were “quite a lot and quite frequent.”
During a legislative session on Friday, KMT Legislator Charles Chen （陳以信） said that Tsai had “made a big blunder” by talking opening about the presence of US military personnel in Taiwan, adding that she has endangered Taiwan.
Chen said that Ma was also aware of the matter, but had kept it confidential for national security reasons.
“Now, Tsai has said it, which will lead to military tension with China. It does nothing good for the security situation in the region,” he said.
DPP Legislator Chen Ting-fei （陳亭妃） wrote online that Ma’s acknowledgment of the US military personnel showed that he was misrepresenting the nation’s defense situation in August last year when he said that if Beijing were to wage war against Taiwan, “the first battle will be the last,” adding that “it would be impossible for the US military to come at all.”
She said that under Tsai’s leadership, Taiwan-US relations have improved, which “Ma and the KMT cannot stand” and are “working to sabotage.”
“They are saying that Tsai’s words have endangered Taiwan, and escalated military tension ... so why do we never hear KMT politicians condemning China’s coercive actions and military threats, and the constant denigrating of Taiwan’s status by Chinese officials... Does the KMT just want Taiwanese to hush up, to accept bullying by China, to be beaten into submission?” she said.
“It is always the Chinese Communist Party working hand in hand with the KMT to subvert our national security. We see KMT lawmakers, like Charles Chen, speaking on behalf of Beijing to intimidate Taiwanese,” she added.
DPP Legislator Wang Ting-yu （王定宇） wrote online that the open talk of the US military’s presence in Taiwan is an indication of warming relations and closer collaboration between the countries.
He said that the revelation of the military cooperation arrangement was in response to China’s increasing coercive activities in the region.
“Opening up about collaboration programs with our armed forces has a deterrent effect against any rash moves by China,” Wang said.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
