U.S. Marines have arrived in Taiwan to help train their troops, the first time U.S. troops have been publicly acknowledged in Taiwan since 1979, when the two countries ended formal diplomatic ties, Newsweek reports.
The Taiwan Marine Corps will receive four weeks of "routine" training from the Marine Raiders, a special operations group, according to the country's Naval Command.
"In order to maintain regional peace and stability, routine security cooperation and exchanges between the militaries of Taiwan and the United States are proceeding as usual," reads a statement from the Taiwanese Navy.
Newsweek notes, although diplomatic ties were severed about 40 years ago, the U.S. has continued to send troops to Taiwan for joint military exercises and training up until the global coronavirus pandemic. The U.S. Army Special Forces were offered to join Taiwan's equivalent forces in Army Aviation and Special Forces Command, while U.S. Navy SEALs help train Taiwanese frogmen every year.