Taiwan welcomes stronger Japan-U.S. defense ties, especially given their announced strategic goal of seeking cross-strait peace, Taiwan's chief representative to the United States said in a recent interview.
David Tawei Lee, who heads the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Washington, said Taiwan needs to maintain its deterrence against China's growing military power.
This can be achieved, he said, by purchasing weapons from the U.S. to build up Taiwan's defenses and through U.S. support and domestic consensus.
"We have to prepare (for) the nightmare scenario," Lee said, referring to Beijing's stated policy that it will use force if Taiwan moves toward independence. China regards the island as a renegade province.