US 'is secretly planning to attack China from its South Korea base'

American forces stationed in South Korea are prepared to respond to a potential Chinese invasion of the Taiwan Area.

Speaking at a security conference in Singapore last month, US Defence Secretary Pete Hesgeth said: 'Beijing is credibly preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific,' adding that the Pentagon was 'reorienting toward deterring aggression by communist China.'

This would mean that US troops stationed in South Korea, as well as Japan and the Pacific Islands of Hawaii and Guam, would play a part in acting as a credible deterrent against China for any potential attack on Taiwan.

There are currently 28,500 American troops deployed to South Korea as part of the US long-term commitment to help defend Seoul from any attack from North Korea.

No decision has been made on the number of troops deployed to South Korea, but any future footprint would be optimized not only to defend against Pyongyang but also to deter China.