Taiwan, which has been working with the US to "harden" its defense measures, has made progress in improving its potential survival rate should the nation suffer attack, a US defense official said on Wednesday.
The US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Taiwan's military preparedness was on the right track and this year's Monterey Talks -- the highest-level annual meeting between US and Taiwanese defense officials -- was a success.
The US official rejected a recent Defense News report that quoted sources who said the talks were "stale" and reflected a cooling in US-Taiwan relations.
According to the report published by the US weekly, this year's Monterey Talks lacked substance.
"Just the opposite is true," the official told the Taipei Times, adding that Taiwan came to the talks prepared and was eager to work with the US.
According to the official, the US arms package currently stalled in the Legislative Yuan was not a sticking point in the talks; both sides moved beyond that issue to discuss other ways Taiwan could seek a "hardening" of its defenses.
The US and Taiwan are currently focused on non-hardware-related issues such as enhancing military cooperation and increasing Taiwan's chances of withstanding an attack by China, the official added.
The official praised Taiwan's military development, saying that the country was cooperating closely with the US.
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