Taiwan says US 'very much' understands its defence needs amid China threat

The United States “very much” understands Taiwan’s defence needs and the severe military threat posed by China, a senior Taiwanese diplomat said on Sunday, days after US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping held high-level talks.Taiwan has been waiting for months for Trump to approve a new arms package worth around $14 billion, following an $11 billion weapons deal announced last December.Trump put the latest arms sale on hold after meeting Xi in Beijing in May. He has not indicated whether the package will be approved following his latest summit with Xi, saying only that the Chinese president understands his position on Taiwan.Speaking to reporters in Taipei, Taiwan Deputy Foreign Minister Chen Ming-chi pointed to comments by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that military sales require careful consideration.“Taiwan faces a severe situation in the Taiwan Strait. Even though China's economy is declining, it continues investing more resources into building military capacity. Under this context, the US very much understands our defence needs,” Chen said, Reuters reported.He said Washington also understands Taiwan’s determination to strengthen its military.“We do continuously communicate with them, and we believe the US understands the situation we face and our determination on defence investment completely.”Chen said Taiwan had repeatedly received assurances from Washington that US policy toward the island had not changed.The United States is legally required to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, while China has repeatedly called on Washington to halt arms sales to the island.US Ambassador to China David Perdue told CNBC on Friday that there had been no change in Trump’s Taiwan policy, including on arms sales.The comments came after Trump and Xi held high-stakes talks at the White House last week, with trade, artificial intelligence, Taiwan and broader US-China strategic rivalry among the key issues.The meeting was followed by a state dinner, where both leaders adopted a notably warm tone. Trump described his relationship with Xi as a “truly great friendship”, while Xi called for the two countries to build a “constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability”.According to China's official news agency Xinhua, Xi urged Trump to “prudently handle the Taiwan question” and called on Washington to oppose Taiwan independence. The White House did not immediately release its own account of the discussion on Taiwan.Beijing considers Taiwan part of China and has repeatedly opposed US arms sales to the island. Taiwan rejects China's sovereignty claims and says only its people can decide the island’s future.The United States maintains a policy of supporting a peaceful resolution of the Taiwan issue while providing Taiwan with military equipment.Trump had previously described arms sales to Taiwan as a “very good negotiating chip” in dealings with China. He later postponed final approval of the $14 billion package after his May meeting with Xi.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.