Taiwan will boost investment in the United States and on its own defences, President Lai Ching-te said Friday, as Taipei seeks to head off US President Donald Trump's threats of tariffs on its semiconductor chips.

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te pledged on Friday to talk with the United States about President Donald Trump's concerns over the chip industry and to invest more in and buy more from the country, while ramping up defence spending.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Taiwan had taken semiconductor chip business away from the United States and that he wanted it back. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Writing by Ismail Shakil;

The U.S. Navy sent two vessels to transit the Taiwan Strait for the first time since President Donald Trump took office, and China tracked their progress through the disputed seaway.

Following the recent transit of two US ships through the Taiwan Strait, Beijing reiterated its position on Taiwan, emphasised that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory and stated that it "opposes any country challenging or threatening China's sovereignty and security under the pretext of freedom of navigation.