US commander warns Taiwan not to 'starve the chicken' on defense

The head of the U.S. command for the Indo-Pacific region on Tuesday stressed the importance of Taiwan passing its stalled defense budget, saying the United States "can't want Taiwan's defense more than they want it itself."



"It's not a chicken and the egg, because you're not going to get chicken or eggs if you starve the chicken," Admiral Samuel Paparo told a hearing of the Senate Committee on Armed Services.



"So it's very important for them to fund their own defense," he said, when asked about the stalled talks.



Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te last year proposed $40 billion in extra defense spending to counter China, which views the island as its own territory.