Incoming National Security Advisor Mike Waltz speaks during an event at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C., Jan. 14. AFP-Yonhap

Incoming U.S. national security advisor Mike Waltz has said the new administration will reinforce Washington's Indo-Pacific strategy — including arms sales to Taiwan — to deter Beijing's ambitions in the region.

Speaking one week before Donald Trump's inauguration, Waltz pledged to leverage Indo-Pacific partnerships, including the trilateral security alliance with Australia and Britain on technology supply chains, to counter Chinese influence.

His remarks offered the clearest signals yet since Trump's re-election in November as to what the incoming administration's strategy is likely to be regarding the Indo-Pacific region and Taiwan.

The return of Trump, who has often attacked U.S. allies over their share of defense spending, unsettled many in Europe and Asia who fear he will not be as committed as his predecessor Joe Biden to regional security partnerships.

Waltz was appearing at a "Passing the Baton" event alongside his predecessor Jake Sullivan at the United States Institute of Peace on Tuesday, when he made the clear affirmation that U.S. partnerships in the region would continue.

"Where I certainly give this administration some credit is the trilateral dialogue between South Korea, the United States and Japan, and then also between the United States, Japan and the Philippines," Waltz said.

These initiatives were "really helping those countries and those governments overcome historic animosities with a shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific," he added. "So I think all of those things will continue."

Waltz also stressed that the incoming administration would make sure that the $20 billion backlog of U.S. weapons for Taiwan would be delivered "as a deterrent measure" — an issue repeatedly dodged by Trump during the campaign.

Beijing regards Taiwan as part of its territory, to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the U.S., do not recognize the island as an independent state. However, Washington is bound by the Taiwan Relations Act to support Taipei's defense capability and is its largest supplier of arms.

On the campaign trail, Trump refused to answer questions about whether the U.S. would defend Taiwan in the event of a contingency. He also suggested that the island should pay the United States for its defense.

The Indo-Pacific region has increasingly been a flash point in U.S.-China relations, with Beijing repeatedly warning that Taiwan is "the first line" that must not be crossed in the bilateral ties.

These warnings have been delivered against a backdrop of continuing U.S. arms sales to the island, including a military assistance package worth $571.3 million unveiled by the Biden administration in December.

The announcement included an additional $295 million in potential arms sales approved by the State Department. Beijing responded by lodging a serious protest with Washington.

On Tuesday, the mainland blacklisted a further seven U.S. companies over weapons sales to Taipei.

Turning to global tech supply chains, Waltz described the dependency on critical minerals from China as one of the most pressing national security challenges for Trump in his new term.

He stressed that Indo-Pacific groupings like Aukus and the Quadrilateral Alliance, as well as partnerships in the western hemisphere — another priority region for Trump — should be incorporated into the U.S. strategy to tackle China in the tech supply chain.

Competition has been fierce between the two powers in high technology, with both countries convinced it is key to their long-term ambitions.

Washington continues to roll out export controls on advanced chips in a bid to curb technology developments in China that would also advance its military capabilities.

In retaliation, Beijing has imposed controls on its exports of the critical minerals that are essential for making chips. China accounts for more than 60 percent of the world's rare earths production and upwards of 90 percent of refining in the area.

To tackle China's rare earths dominance, the U.S. has been taking increasing measures to reduce its dependence on Chinese supplies, including forming critical mineral security partnerships with Indo-Pacific nations and with the EU.

In his remarks, Waltz pointed out that China needed the U.S. market for its critical mineral production, which could actually be used as a "leverage."

"The president-elect firmly believes we can avoid conflict with the Chinese Communist Party, because they need our markets, and we're going to use the leverage in a way ... that's aligned with our national security while we still can," he said.

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan speaks during an event at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C., Jan. 14. AFP-Yonhap

After four years in charge of Biden's national security strategy, Sullivan urged his successor and the incoming administration to get U.S. allies on board to "push back" on China's electric vehicle "overcapacity" and its activities in the South China Sea.

"We can't take our eye off the ball of the long-term strategic competition with the People's Republic of China," he said.

But Sullivan also suggested that the new administration should maintain strategic communications with China, as an effective way of managing the competition, adding that his talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had been "very valuable."

"I have found it very valuable, as national security advisor, to have that strategic channel so that China understands what we're up to, and so we understand what they're up to," he said.

"It's not about making compromises on our national security, our interests or values, but it's about having an open channel of communication to manage the competition."

Read the full story at SCMP.