U.S. report on Indo-Pacific strategy makes headlines in Taiwan

June 2 (UPI) -- The Pentagon has revealed it seeks a strong partnership with Taiwan, Taiwanese media reported Sunday.

Taiwan's Liberty Times and other local media reported the U.S. Department of Defense seeks to "faithfully" carry out the Taiwan Relations Act, signed in 1979 to promote U.S. foreign policy through the cultivation of ties with Taiwan.

The defense of U.S.-Taiwan relations was included in a U.S. report on its Indo-Pacific strategy, published last Friday.

"The United States has a vital interest in upholding the rules-based international order, which includes a strong, prosperous, and democratic Taiwan," the report said.

"The United States is pursuing a strong partnership with Taiwan and will faithfully implement the Taiwan Relations Act, as part of a broader commitment to the security and stability of the Indo-Pacific."

The report also said Taiwan lost three diplomatic partners in 2018 and is denied full participation in international fora.

"Although China advocates for peaceful unification with Taiwan, China has never renounced the use of military force, and continues to develop and deploy advanced military capabilities needed for a potential military campaign," the report said.

China does not recognize Taiwan's sovereignty under its One-China policy, and Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has asserted the nation's status as a liberal democracy, a move that has stirred friction between the two sides.

The United States has sold weapons to Taiwan. On Saturday at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Lt. Gen. Shao Yuanming, deputy chief of Beijing's Joint Staff Department, said the United States was using Taiwan to promote "instability," the South China Morning Post reported.

"The One-China principle is the political foundation of Sino-U.S. relations and the common consensus in the international community," Shao said. "[But] recent words and deeds released by the U.S. side have sent terribly wrong signals to Taiwan's independence forces, which could undermine regional peace and stability."

Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said at the security forum Washington has no plans to stop weapons sales to Taiwan, and would continue to support the island nation's ability to defend itself, according to the Post.