Taipei - Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou said Saturday the US approval of arms' sales to Taipei signifies willingness to gradually rebuild trust with the island. "The approval not only represents the US assertion of our policy to improve cross-strait ties, while at the same time maintain proper security relations with the US. It also represents the US willingness to gradually rebuild mutual trust seriously deteriorated in the past eight years," he said.
He made the comment during a meeting with a US visitors from the Center of Strategic and International Studies at his office in Taipei.
The administration of President George W Bush notified US Congress last week about the sale of six major packages of weaponry worth 6.45 billion US dollars to Taiwan, ending the nearly year-long freeze on arms' sales to the island.
The approval drew sharp protest from China, which retaliated by suspending several military exchange activities with Washington.
China regards Taiwan a rogue province and US support for it has been a source of tension between the two countries. The US dropped Taiwan to recognize China in 1979, but pledged to continue to sell defensive arms to Taiwan.
The Bush administration had delayed the latest arms package since late 2007, amid reports that Washington was unhappy about the policy of Ma's predecessor Chen Shui-bian of repeatedly infuriating China through his pro-independence statements and activities. Washington was also unhappy with Taipei's unwillingness to boost its defence budget and defend itself.
Ma, who stressed that Taiwan's defence budget was to remain at 3 per cent of the island's gross domestic product, vowed to do all he could to rebuild mutual US-Taiwan trust.
