TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The U.S. will respond decisively if Taiwan is attacked, Vice Chair of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee Rob Wittman said during a meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Friday (Sept. 1).

“Any hostile, unprovoked attack on Taiwan will result in a resolute reaction from the United States,” Wittman said. He also pledged that Congress is actively working to fulfill the NT$605.7 billion (US$19 billion) backlog in arms sales to Taiwan.

Wittman, who is leading a delegation to Taiwan as part of a broader visit to the Indo-Pacific region, recognized Taiwan’s “incredible effort” in bolstering its defense. He cited the extension of conscription to one year as an example.

The congressional representative said Taiwan-U.S. ties are “built upon shared values." Bilateral relations are based on “trust, understanding, and a mutual benefit to both nations,” he said, adding that he hopes to see more U.S. companies invest in Taiwan and vice versa.

Wittman stressed the importance of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and said the U.S. will do everything to maintain it. “We know strength is the best deterrence to anyone that may think there’s an opportunity to act badly in this region,” he said.

The U.S. State Department on Wednesday (Aug. 30) approved a NT$2.55 billion (US$80 million) military aid package to Taiwan that will be used to "strengthen Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities through joint and combined defense capability and enhanced maritime domain awareness and maritime security capability, according to AP. This is the first time military aid has been provided to Taiwan through the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) program.