Taiwan hopes U.S. arms sales to continue amid uncertainty: Lai

Taipei, May 20 (CNA) Taiwan is hoping sales of weapons by the United States will continue to support the defense capabilities it needs to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said Wednesday on the second anniversary of his inauguration.

Asked what he would say if he could speak directly with U.S. President Donald Trump, Lai said Taiwan would convey that it is committed to maintaining the status quo in the Taiwan Strait and continuing to strengthen its self-defense capabilities in response to growing military pressure from China.

"Peace through strength" is the best way to preserve stability in the Taiwan Strait, Lai said.

"We hope this military procurement can continue," he said, referring to a pending US$14 billion arms package the U.S. is considering selling to Taiwan.

The longstanding assurance that Taiwan could get weapons from the U.S. was called into question by comments Trump made following his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平).

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Trump described arms sales to Taiwan as "a very good negotiating chip," and when asked whether he would approve the US$14 billion arms package for Taiwan, Trump said he was "holding that in abeyance" and that it would "depend on China."

Responding to the remarks Wednesday, Lai accused China of being the main destabilizing force in the region, saying Beijing had continued to expand its military presence in the East and South China seas while carrying out exercises extending into the western Pacific.

In contrast, Lai said, "Taiwan is a guardian of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," and he reiterated that Taiwan is a sovereign and independent country whose democratic way of life should not be viewed as provocative.

"No country has the right to annex Taiwan," he said.

In his speech delivered earlier that marked the halfway point of his term, Lai said maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and preventing external forces from altering the status quo remained Taiwan's strategic objective.

Noting that Taiwan held its first direct presidential election in 1996, Lai said the country's democracy had been achieved through generations of sacrifice and should determine the island's future.

"Taiwan's future must be decided by its 23 million people," Lai said, adding that it should not be dictated by "external forces" or shaped by fear, division or short-term interests.