DEFENSE/Taiwan willing to do more for self-defense: Premier Cho

Taipei, July 17 (CNA) Taiwan is willing to shoulder more responsibility for its self-defense, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said Wednesday, when asked to respond to Donald Trump's recent comments on Taiwan.

"We are willing to take on more responsibility" when contributing to the security of the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region, Cho said at a press conference in Taipei, noting that Taiwan was to defend itself and ensure its safety.

Cho said that Taiwan has strived to boost its self-defense capabilities by gradually increasing its defense spending, reinstating the one-year compulsory military service, and strengthening the society's resilience to various challenges.

"I believe that as long as we continue to demonstrate [these efforts], we will receive support from more countries," Cho said, while thanking Washington for repeatedly expressing concerns over Taiwan's security.

Cho was responding to a media question on how he viewed recent comments made by Trump, the Republican nominee in November's United States presidential election, who suggested during an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek that Taiwan should pay Washington for protection.

"I know the people very well, respect them greatly. They did take about 100 percent of our chip business," Trump said in the interview conducted on June 25 and published Wednesday, adding that "Taiwan should pay us for defense."

"You know, we're no different than an insurance company," the former U.S. president went on, "Taiwan doesn't give us anything."

The Bloomberg Businessweek report also described Trump as having a "lukewarm" attitude about standing up to Chinese aggression against Taiwan.

Taiwan is "9,500 miles away [from the U.S.]" but just "68 miles away from China," Trump was cited as saying, expressing his skepticism about whether it is possible to defend Taiwan from the other side of the globe.

At the Cabinet press conference, Cho underlined the solid relations between Taiwan and the U.S., noting that Taipei continued to work to improve such bilateral ties.

The premier, however, sidestepped another question on how the government would react if a reelected Trump asked for the transfer of advanced chip production from Taiwan.

Cho said instead that he was "confident" that advanced technologies would remain in Taiwan because the nation boasted a manufacturing ecosystem and talent.

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