US President Donald Trump says he will decide on whether to send more weapons to Taiwan soon, despite Chinese President Xi Jinping warning him not to do so.
Mr Trump said he was in discussions about the deal with his Chinese counterpart, who he said he had a “good relationship” with.
“We had a good conversation and we’ll make a determination pretty soon,” Mr Trump said.
The democratic island is under increasing military pressure from China.
China’s Communist Party has never ruled Taiwan, but Beijing claims the island of 23 million people is part of its territory and has not ruled out using force to annex it.
Mr Trump and Mr Xi are due to meet in Beijing in April.
US–Taiwan arms sales often strain US–China relations. (Reuters: Ann Wang)
In a phone call with Trump earlier this month, Mr Xi called for “mutual respect” in relations with the United States, warning Washington about arms sales to Taiwan.
“The Taiwan question is the most important issue in China–US relations,” Mr Xi said, according to China’s state broadcaster.
“The US must handle arms sales to Taiwan with caution.”
The United States approved $US11 billion ($15.6 billion) worth of arms to Taiwan in December, which was the largest ever US weapons package for the island.
China then launched major live-fire drills to simulate a blockade around Taiwan’s key ports.
In response to Mr Trump’s comments about a weapons decision, Taiwan’s foreign ministry said it was closely monitoring US–China interactions and vowed to “strengthen cooperation with the US”.
“Taiwan firmly believes that only by continuously strengthening its self-defence capabilities can it safeguard its hard-won peace and prosperity,” the ministry said in a statement.
While Mr Trump has adopted a softer tone on support for Taiwan in his second term, the issue remains an issue in US–China relations.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference in Germany at the weekend, Beijing’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, warned the United States against “plotting” on Taiwan, saying it could lead to a “confrontation” with China.
Taiwan has spent billions of dollars upgrading its military in the past decade, but faces growing US pressure to do more to protect itself against China.
Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te has proposed $US40 billion ($56.8 billion) in extra defence spending by his government over eight years, but the plan has been blocked by the opposition-controlled parliament 10 times since early December.
Dozens of US politicians urged Taiwan’s opposition political parties to end their blocking of the move last week.
A US High Mobility Artillery Rocket System fires a missile during a military exercise in the northern Philippines. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)
United States to deploy missiles to Philippines
The United States also plans to send more high-tech missile systems to the Philippines to help deter aggression in the South China Sea.
It is a move that is likely to anger China, which has previously asked the Philippines to withdraw missile launchers from its territory.
Officials from the United States and Philippines have met in Manila to discuss broadening regional security, political and economic engagements.
In a joint statement, the two countries said the meeting had “underscored their support for preserving freedom of navigation and overflight”.
“Both sides condemned China’s illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive activities in the South China Sea, recognising their adverse effects on regional peace and stability and the economies of the Indo-Pacific and beyond,” the statement said.
Confrontations between Chinese and Philippine coast guard forces have spiked in the disputed waters in recent years.
AFP/AP
