Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero's office and military commands are not commenting on international media reports that revealed a group of about 40 members of Taiwan's Marine Corps are on the island for a monthlong deployment.
Sources including Newsweek, Taipei Times and the South China Morning Post began reporting last week that Chiu Kuo-cheng, Taiwan's defense minister, appeared to confirm initial accounts of the military moves.
Neither the Guam governor's office nor U.S. Pacific Command in Hawaii have yet responded to requests to confirm the news. Joint Region Marianas, the local military command, said Friday it was not able to comment on the reports "as of this time."
The Taipei Times reported the country's defense minister confirmed the group is in Guam as part of a Taiwan-U.S. defense cooperation and exchange program.
"The program is one of a number of 'long-standing' bilateral exchange projects between Taipei and Washington, Chiu said, without elaborating," the Taipei Times published.
The Pentagon did not deny the reports when speaking to Newsweek on the matter.
"I don't have any comments on specific operations, engagements or training, but I would like to highlight that our support for and defense relationship with Taiwan remains aligned against the current threat posed by the People's Republic of China and is in line with our commitments under the Taiwan Relations Act and our One China policy," Lt. Col. Martin Meiners, U.S. Defense Department spokesperson, told the magazine.
Guam has been hosting various military units of America's allies this year, including the United Kingdom, Singapore, India, Australia, Japan and Germany. The island is seen as a "safe harbor" for port calls and multinational war games during the COVID-19 pandemic.
But high-ranking military officials and Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero have underscored that the maneuvers are part of a broader mission to secure the Indo-Pacific region, particularly from adversaries in Asia.
Speaking to reporters during the arrival of deployed U.S. Army infantry vehicles, Leon Guerrero said the presence of the fleet and the soldiers of the First Corps sends "a very strong, strong significant message to not just our people, or the United States, but to those that provide threats to our part of the world: China, North Korea."
