Taiwan will increase defense spending by 2 percent a year, President Tsai Ing-wen said during a visit to Hawaii where the United States expressed concern over a possible military imbalance in the Taiwan Straits, Taiwan media reported.

If Taiwan purchases arms from a foreign military, the island's defense spending could increase as much as 3 percent a year, and could possibly rise further using a special budget if "significant purchase cases" are made, Tsai said in remarks carried by official media Monday.

She made the comments in response to U.S. concerns about a possible military imbalance in the Taiwan Strait expressed by Ambassador James Moriarty during a meeting.