TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The White House on Monday (Dec. 5) stated that it is continuing to collaborate with Congress on strengthening deterrence in the Taiwan Strait and boosting Taiwan's self-defense capabilities amid increasingly provocative actions by China's military.

During a press briefing, a reporter asked White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre to comment on reports that US$10 billion in funding to bolster Taiwan's defenses had been included as part of a compromise in the ongoing negotiations for the fiscal 2023 National Defense Authorization Act. The reporter also asked whether there were concerns that giving such additional aid to Taiwan "might act as an irritant in the relationship with China?"

Jean-Pierre responded by saying that in a general sense, the White House is continuing to collaborate with Congress on means by which the U.S. can "reinforce deterrence across the Taiwan Strait and build Taiwan’s resilience in meaningful ways, including the self-defense capabilities." However, she declined to go into further detail so as to not "get ahead of the process that we’re currently seeing in Congress at this time."