Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) on Tuesday met with US National Security Council (NSC) officials and US lawmakers to discuss issues regarding Taiwan’s security and national defense.
Chu, who is on an 11-day trip to the US, said the meeting with NSC Senior Director for China and Taiwan Laura Rosenberger lasted about 45 minutes.
It was held at the American Institute in Taiwan’s Washington headquarters.
Photo courtesy of the Chinese Nationalist Party
They exchanged views on Taiwan’s security and national defense, including military service and the reserve force, Chu said.
The meeting showed that Washington places more focus on security issues, energy and technology than it did three years ago, Chu said, referring to his visit to the US in August 2019, shortly after he lost the KMT’s presidential primary for the 2020 election.
Chu visited Capitol Hill after the talks with Rosenberger for separate meetings with US representatives Don Bacon, Ruben Gallego, Lisa McClain, Michelle Steel and Steve Chabot, who chairs the US House of Representatives Taiwan Caucus, the KMT said.
Chu told McClain that the nation would require more arms that can boost its capabilities in the short term, as the nation is reforming its military and placing more focus on its reserve forces to resist potential external threats, the KMT said yesterday in a statement.
RISK OF WAR
Many experts and analysts estimate that there could be a conflict in the Taiwan Strait in the next five to 10 years, Chu said, adding that Taiwan and the US should strengthen joint defense training.
Chu discussed the nation’s semiconductor industry with Gallego, the statement said.
Chipmakers in Taiwan, South Korea and other allied nations should come together and work out a “common standard” to bolster global supply chains, Chu said, adding that he had conveyed the idea to the US government.
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