Taiwan's President William Lai Ching-te has expressed hope that the United States will approve a $14 billion arms sale "as soon as possible," reiterating that the island "rejects unification" with China.
Taiwan relies heavily on US support to deter any potential Chinese attack, and Washington has pressured Taipei to increase its defense spending. However, arms sales also complicate ties between Washington and Beijing. Democratically governed Taiwan is viewed by China as its own territory, and Beijing has stepped up military and diplomatic pressure on the island.
In May, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the $14 billion deal was "under review." Speaking to the Taiwan Foreign Correspondents' Club in Taipei on Thursday, Lai reiterated his desire for talks based on "parity and respect" with China, but said only the Taiwanese people can decide their future.
"Taiwan's safeguarding of its own national security and maintaining its democratic and free way of life, its refusal to accept unification, and its refusal to accept rule by the Chinese Communist Party should not be seen as a provocation against China," he added.
Taiwan said the US's commitments to Taiwan have not changed, as it is required under domestic law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself. A top US military official said last month Washington was pausing its $14 billion arms sale to Taiwan to conserve munitions for its war on Iran.
"We will continue to maintain close communication with the US government, and we also hope the arms purchases can be approved as soon as possible," Lai said. The Taiwanese president has championed increased defense spending, though last month Taiwan's parliament only approved two-thirds of the $40 billion defense budget Lai had proposed, cutting the part meant for drones and domestically produced weapons.
On Thursday, Taiwan's defense ministry said it was proposing another special defense package worth $210 billion new Taiwan dollars ($6.64 billion) for surveillance and small unmanned surface drones. Lai said China should renounce the use of force and its military activities in the Western Pacific, as Taiwan's arms purchases send an important message to the world that it is willing to defend itself.
Source: www.aljazeera.com