US will continue to be friendly to Taiwan and after the presidential election, and Taiwan will work to prevent "trouble" that China may create during the transition, a senior Taiwanese security official, Tsai Ming-yen, was quoted as saying by Reuters.< /p>
Donald Trump, the Republican candidate for US president, said during his campaign that Taiwan should pay to be protected. He also accused the island of stealing America's semiconductor business.
Democratically ruled Taiwan, which China views as its territory, has faced a sustained campaign of military pressure from Beijing over the past five years, including four major military exercises in the past two years.
Director General of Taiwan's National Security Bureau Tsai Ming-yen stressed to the media that the outcome of the US election is not yet known.
"Regarding cross-strait relations, we believe the US will continue to implement its current approach of containing China and of friendly relations with Taiwan," he added. Taipei will continue to communicate with the US administration, focusing on key cooperation issues "in the next phase," and work with international partners to exchange information on China's intentions and military actions during the transition, Tsai added.< /p>
The goal is "to prevent the Chinese Communists from taking advantage" from the transfer of power in the US, he noted.
Reuters emphasizes that it has not received a comment from China's Taiwan Affairs Office.