The administration of US President Donald Trump remains committed to Taiwan, a US official said yesterday, following reports that Beijing had privately warned the US that arms sales to Taiwan could jeopardize Trump's visit to China in April.
"This administration has been very clear that the enduring US commitment to Taiwan continues, as it has for over four decades," a US Department of State spokesperson said, while declining to comment on pending arms transfers.
Photo: AFP
"We urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic and economic pressure against Taiwan, and instead engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The comments came in the wake of a Financial Times report on Saturday that Washington was preparing an arms sale to Taiwan of Patriot missiles and other weapons worth as much as US$20 billion.
The sale would follow a US$11.1 billion arms package that the US approved in December for Taiwan, the report said.
The report said that Beijing had privately warned the US that the latest sale could jeopardize Trump's state visit to China in April.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) also raised the issue during a call with Trump last week, urging the US to handle the issue of arms sales with "prudence," the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
However, in Taiwan, funds to pay for the weapons packages remain tied up in the opposition-controlled legislature, which has yet to approve the government's general budget for this year and US$40 billion special defense budget.
Several US senators have urged Taiwan to pass the budgets, while the White House on Friday said that it "strongly" supported Taiwan's efforts to boost its defense and deterrence capabilities, US political news site The Hill reported.
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
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