US commander warns Taiwan not to 'starve the chicken' on defense

By David Brunnstrom and Michael ‌Martina

WASHINGTON, April ​21 (Reuters) - The ​head of the U.S. command for the Indo-Pacific region on Tuesday stressed the importance of Taiwan passing its stalled defense budget, saying ‌the United States "can't want Taiwan's defense more than they want ⁠it itself."

"It's not a chicken and the egg, because you're not going to get chicken ‌or eggs if you starve ‌the chicken," Admiral Samuel Paparo told a hearing of the Senate Committee on Armed Services.

"So it's very important for them to fund their own ​defense," he said, when asked about the stalled talks.

Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te last year proposed $40 billion in extra defense spending to counter China, which ⁠views the island as its own territory.

Taiwan's parliament, where the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party has a majority, is ​continuing to debate the government's plan and competing, less expensive proposals.

Washington is obliged under U.S. law to provide Taiwan with ​the means to defend itself, and American ‌senators have sought to reassure Taiwan that the U.S. will approve another round of arms sales worth as much as $14 ⁠billion soon.

A group of 37 bipartisan U.S. lawmakers wrote to senior Taiwanese politicians in February expressing concern about the parliament stalling defense spending plans and a separate group ⁠of U.S. lawmakers gave a similar message during a subsequent visit to Taipei.

"We did ​secure private assurances from KMT leadership that a robust defense package would eventually be approved," a Democratic congressional aide who had recently traveled to Taiwan said.

The KMT says it ‌supports defense spending, but will not sign "blank checks" and that dialogue with Beijing is equally important.

In Taipei, ruling party lawmakers ‌have expressed anger at the KMT for skipping defense budget talks and for ⁠its leader Cheng Li-wun visiting ‌China, where she made a ​plea for peace, saying birds not missiles should fly in the skies.

(Reporting by David Brunnstrom and Michael Martina; Editing by ‌Alison Williams)

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