Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said Thursday he hoped a proposed $14 billion U.S. arms sale would be approved soon, as Taipei faced continued pressure from Beijing.
“We hope that the arms purchases can be approved as soon as possible,” Lai told reporters in Taipei.
Taiwan relies on U.S. support as China claims the island as part of its territory and has not ruled out using force to take control.
“Taiwan’s efforts to safeguard its national security, uphold its democratic and free way of life, and reject unification and the rule of the Chinese Communist Party should not be seen as a provocation against China or a troublemaker in the region,” Lai said.
The United States formally recognizes only China, but under U.S. law must provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, an issue that has long strained ties between Washington and Beijing.
U.S. officials said in May they were also assessing whether U.S. weapons stockpiles were sufficient for operations related to Iran.
Lai’s government pledged to raise defense spending to more than 3% of gross domestic product this year. It proposed NT$1.25 trillion, or about $40 billion, for weapons purchases, including U.S.-made arms, Taiwan-made drones, and other items.
Taiwan’s lawmakers remained divided over defense spending. Opposition parties, which hold a legislative majority, passed a $25 billion special defense budget last month, cutting by about one-third the amount sought by Lai’s ruling party.
Lai said the U.S. commitment to Taiwan’s security “remains unchanged,” and that both sides “share the goal of strengthening security and accelerating efforts to strengthen Taiwan’s self-defence capabilities”.
He also said China “exerted pressure” on Japan and the Philippines during their talks over maritime boundaries in waters east of Taiwan.
Japan and the Philippines said in late May they would begin formal talks to “delimit the maritime boundary” of their exclusive economic zones and continental shelf. China called the talks “illegal” and also claimed exclusive control over the waters.
Taipei rejected Beijing’s claims, saying Taiwan and China are “not subordinate” to each other.
“China is not only pressuring Taiwan, but also other countries in the Indo-Pacific region,” Lai said Thursday.
Lai said China’s military expansion in the East and South China Seas, the Taiwan Strait, and into the western Pacific had continued, and that its “various forms of coercion continue to increase.”
Concerns over China’s maritime claims have brought Japan and the Philippines closer in recent years. Neither country recognizes Taiwan’s statehood claim, but both maintain close unofficial ties with the island.