Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen on Tuesday pitched a trade deal with the United States, saying it would both safeguard the island's security and address US concerns over China's growing control over fifth-generation communications.
Addressing a think-tank forum in Washington by video, Tsai said the US and Taiwanese economies were "complementary" and that a trade pact could provide a model for the Indo-Pacific region.
China, which considers Taiwan a province awaiting reunification, has long opposed international agreements involving the self-ruling democracy but poured in investment and tourists under Tsai's Beijing-friendly predecessor, Ma Ying-jeou.
"Taiwan's economic diversification is related to whether we can remain a free and open society," said Tsai, who emphasises the island's unique identity and has seen growing friction with Beijing.
"China's influence campaigns are undertaken using economic actors. By aligning ourselves with the United States and other free-market actors, we can reduce our economic reliance on China and their capacity to interfere in our media, politics and security," Tsai told the forum at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
She said a trade deal was "particularly relevant" amid worries over Chinese telecom giant Huawei and "the scramble for control over the future of 5G networks."