Taiwan cautiously optimistic about US arms sales, defence minister says

 


TAIPEI, May 19 (Reuters) - Taiwan Defence Minister Wellington Koo on Tuesday said he was "cautiously optimistic" about arms sales from the U.S., after President Donald Trump said he was still considering whether to go ahead with new sales to the Chinese-claimed island.

Trump's meeting with China's Xi Jinping last week, where Taiwan was a point of focus, has caused concern in Taipei about the U.S. commitment to helping the island defend itself, especially as China ramps up its military activities.

Taiwan's role as the world's main producer of advanced semiconductors means any conflict would cause major disruptions to the global economy.

The U.S. is bound by law to provide Taiwan with weapons and in December the Trump administration approved an $11 billion arms package, the largest ever. A second package worth some $14 billion has yet to be formally approved.

Speaking to reporters in parliament, Koo said the U.S. has repeatedly said its policy toward Taiwan has not changed.

"For a long time, the United States has maintained peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait region through arms sales channels. This was established under the Taiwan Relations Act," he added, referring to the 1979 law that mandates arms sales.

Weapons sales are an important "counterbalancing force" for maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, Koo said.

"It is clear that the side repeatedly provoking, creating incidents and undermining the peaceful and stable status quo in the Taiwan Strait is China, not our country," he added.

"Therefore, under these circumstances, we believe that maintaining this arms-sales channel is in line with U.S. interests," Koo said.

Taiwan is continuing to talk to the U.S. about arms sales and "at present, we remain cautiously optimistic," he added.

ARMS A 'NEGOTIATING CHIP' FOR U.S.

Trump, speaking after his meeting with Xi, also said U.S. arms sales were "a very good negotiating chip for us," causing further alarm in Taiwan.

China's military operates daily around Taiwan and occasionally stages large-scale war games, the last of which was in December.

China's navy earlier on Tuesday said it sent a carrier task force into the Western Pacific for training, an announcement that came a day before the two-year anniversary of Taiwan President Lai Ching-te's inauguration.

While Lai has enthusiastically backed calls from Trump for U.S. allies and partners to spend more on defence, Taiwan's opposition-controlled parliament earlier this month approved only two-thirds of a $40 billion special budget that he had requested.

The government is now trying to get the rest of the money that was not approved by lawmakers.

Taiwan's government rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims, saying only the island's people can decide their future.

($1 = 31.6490 Taiwan dollars)

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Thomas Derpinghaus)