Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on Saturday stressed improved relations with the US amid an increasing number of incursions by Chinese military planes. Talking at a National Security Council meeting, she instructed the government to bolster self-defence capabilities and stabilise economic and social order, along with increased intelligence gathering, reported Taipei Times.
“The nation should modernize its defense capabilities, upgrade its asymmetric combat capabilities, promote indigenous arms development, and reform its reserve forces to brace for Beijing’s military expansion and aggression,” said Tsai.
She also instructed the council, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US to maintain the support of both the Democratic Party, as well as the Republicans. Tsai advised the government to toe the line of Premier Su Tseng-chang who is working on Taiwan-US Economic and Commercial Dialogue, bilateral trade agreement, and negotiations with the US regarding the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) in the light of Taiwan-US meetings about the TIFA that is suspended since 2017.
“The Cabinet should take advantage of the Taiwan-US framework for strengthening basic infrastructure financing and market-building cooperation signed in September to promote supply chain cooperation in New Southbound Policy countries, as well as, Central and South American countries,” said Tsai at the council meeting.
