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.