TAIPEi, Taiwan (AP) — The governor of Guam, U.S. Pacific territory virtually surely involved in any Chinese military action against Taiwan, is visiting Taiwan this week.
Since becoming government in 2019, Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero is traveling to the self-governing island democracy for the first time. China has greatly increased its threat of invasion of Taiwan using modern ships, missiles, and bombers during that period. Given the significant number of U.S. troops and hardware Guam hosts, military planners typically include island in their war gaming.
Washington is likely to react to any Chinese strike and use Guam as a staging ground for many of those operations even though Taiwan and the United States lack military treaties or even diplomatic connections. About 9,700 members of all the U.S. military branches call the island home.
About 4,750 kilometers (3,000 miles), east of the Philippines, Guam is within range of Chinese ballistic missiles, particularly those fired from submarines, from the Chinese mainland. Minor panics in Guam have resulted from past crises involving China and the United States over Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, raising many questions about whether the island would become a target for Chinese missiles.
The Foreign Ministry said she will also prioritize tourism, health care, and fishing.
Though they are not entitled to vote in presidential elections, Guam residents are U.S. citizens. Late on, Taiwan has worked hard to strengthen its ties to South Pacific Territories against Chinese incursions.
