TAIPEI (Reuters) - The United States will not abandon its allies in the Pacific and the incoming Trump administration should renew its commitment to providing Taiwan with the means to defend itself, former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said in Taipei on Friday.
Trump's first administration, in which Pence served, offered strong support for Chinese-claimed Taiwan, including the regularisation of arms sales.
But Trump, who takes office on Monday for a second term, unnerved Taiwan on the campaign trail by calling for the democratically-governed island to pay to be defended and accusing it of stealing U.S. semiconductor business.
Making his first visit to Taiwan, Pence said he prayed for a peaceful future for the region.
"I am convinced that America will never abandon our allies across the Pacific and I call on the new administration in Washington and freedom loving nations around the world to urgently renew our commitment for providing Taiwan with the support it needs to defend itself and its freedom," he said.
In addition to military support, the Trump administration should also begin negotiations for a free trade pact with Taiwan, Pence added, a deal the government in Taipei has long sought.
Pence, who arrived in Taiwan after a visit to Hong Kong, said there was broad, bipartisan agreement in Washington that China represented the greatest strategic and economic threat facing the United States and its allies in this century.
"While America's perception of China has changed greatly in recent years, I can assure you one thing has not changed, and that is the deep respect and support of the American people for the people of Taiwan."
Republicans Trump and Pence have had a strained relationship since the end of Trump's first term, from 2017 through 2021. During that time, Pence served Trump loyally but refused Trump's demand that he overturn his 2020 election defeat on Jan. 6, 2021 before Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.
Taiwan has no formal relations with the United States, which, like most countries, only has diplomatic ties with China, but is bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself.
China has ramped up its military pressure against Taiwan and refuses to speak to its president, Lai Ching-te, saying he is a "separatist".
Lai has offered talks with Beijing, but rejects its sovereignty claims, saying only Taiwan's people can decide their future.