US Lauds Taiwan's Defence Reforms, Encourages Further Enhancements

The United States has commended Taiwan's self-defence initiatives led by President William Lai's administration. Ingrid Larson of the American Institute in Taiwan emphasized the importance of ongoing reforms and investments in Taiwan's defence capabilities amid increasing pressure from China. The US also supports bolstering Taiwan's societal resilience.

The United States has commended Taiwan's administration for its efforts to boost self-defence capabilities through significant reforms and investments, as reported by Taipei Times. The US 'strongly encourages and applauds' these initiatives by President William Lai's administration, noted Ingrid Larson, managing director of the American Institute in Taiwan's Washington Office, during her address on Monday at the US-Taiwan Defence Industry Conference in Philadelphia.

Larson highlighted Beijing's ongoing campaign to pressure Taiwan through diplomatic, military, financial, and other means. She pointed to examples such as Edinburgh's cancellation of a sister city relationship with Kaohsiung under Chinese influence. She stressed that such actions undermine peace and people-to-people ties across the Taiwan Strait.

Larson underscored the US's appreciation of Taiwan's proposed defence budget increase by nearly 6% to USD 20 billion and ongoing defence reforms. She emphasized the significance of Taiwan's Whole-of-Society Defence Resilience Committee and noted the importance of enhancing Taiwan's societal resilience to maintain global security and connectivity.

(With inputs from agencies.)