US 'very much' understands Taiwan's defence needs, Taipei official says

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TAIPEI, Sept 27 (Reuters) — The United States "very much" understands Taiwan's defence needs and the severe military threat it faces from China, Taiwan's Deputy Foreign Minister Chen Ming-chi told reporters on Sunday, days after US and Chinese leaders held a summit in Washington.

Taiwan has been waiting for months for US President Donald Trump to approve a new arms sales package worth some $14 billion, following a record $11 billion deal unveiled last December.

Trump put the latest package in abeyance after meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing in May, and has not mentioned it since last week's summit, saying only on Saturday that Xi understands his position on Taiwan.

Chen cited US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's remarks that military sales to any country require the same 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," he said.

Washington also understands Taiwan's determination to invest in its own military, Chen added, and Taipei has received repeated confirmation from US officials that Washington's policy toward Taiwan remains unchanged.

US ambassador to China David Perdue told CNBC on Friday that there has been no change in US Taiwan policy under Trump, including on arms sales. The United States is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself; China has repeatedly called for military sales to end.

Taiwan's government rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims, saying only the island's people can decide their future. Beijing has rebuffed repeated calls for talks from Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, whom it calls a "separatist".