TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — U.S. support for Taiwan’s defense capabilities is “rock solid,” American Institute in Taiwan Director Sandra Oudkirk said recently.

Oudkirk pointed out that China’s aggressive behavior toward Taiwan poses many risks and undermines the existing status quo that has allowed the Taiwan Strait to prosper, Liberty Times reported. She said Beijing’s threats not only consist of military incursions in Taiwan’s air defense identification zone but also cyberattacks, dissemination of false information, economic coercion, or retaliatory measures against Taiwanese companies.

The director said American support for Taiwan’s defense capabilities is a "rock-solid" commitment and aims to help the country counter these threats. The U.S. continues to communicate with Taiwanese agencies including the Ministry of National Defense (MND) and the Presidential Office to understand evolving threats and how to respond to them, she said.

Oudkirk emphasized that she hopes the Taiwanese know the U.S. is working hard to help the nation and that the MND, the Presidential Office, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, are also doing the same. Washington and Taipei will continue to carry out security cooperation to ensure Taiwan is capable of defending itself, she added.

With regard to possibly speeding up the sale of 66 F-16Vs to Taiwan, Oudkirk said the U.S. and Taiwan are cooperating closely and that she hoped defense procurement and delivery procedures can be finalized "as quickly as we can."

The director also expressed sadness over the death of Captain Chen Yi, the Air Force pilot whose F-16 crashed into the ocean in January.