STORY: :: SET TV
Taiwan on Saturday pushed for U.S. arms supplies after President Donald Trump said he was undecided on future sales.
The U.S. is the most crucial international backer for democratically governed Taiwan - which China claims as its territory.
:: SET TV
U.S. arms sales to Taiwan have always been a cornerstone of regional peace and stability, a senior official said.
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Washington is bound by the Taiwan Relations Act to provide weapons to the island, which rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims.
Trump said on Friday after talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing that the issue came up "a lot." [0873]
"On Taiwan, he does not want to see a fight for independence because that would be a very strong confrontation and I heard him out."
A flashpoint in U.S.-China relations, Trump gave no commitment on the weapons deal.
"I'll make a determination over the next fairly short period. I'm going to make a determination. I'm going to see. I have to speak to the person that right now as you know, you know who he is, that's running Taiwan."
In a statement Taiwan president spokesperson Karen Kuo said China's escalating military threat is the "sole destabilizing factor" in the Indo-Pacific region.
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Kuo added the military sales also serve as a mutual deterrence against regional threats.
In December, the Trump administration approved a record $11 billion arms sale package for Taiwan.
Reuters has reported a second package, worth around $14 billion, still awaits Trump's approval.
Taiwan declined to comment on the package and said it would continue to communicate with the U.S. to understand the situation from Washington's side.
U.S. Republican and Democratic lawmakers have strongly urged the Trump administration to continue with weapons sales.
