11.   America has repeatedly warned Beijing that it might help defend the island if China attacks.

12.   As a candidate, Bush called for strengthening military ties with Taiwan and vowed to defend the island if China attacked.

13.   Bush decided earlier this week to sell weapons to Taiwan and issued a blunt reminder that Washington could use military force to defend the island from Chinese attack.

14.   Candidate Bush called for building up military ties with Taiwan and vowed to defend the island if China attacked.

15.   During the campaign, Bush supported building up military ties with Taiwan and pledged to defend the island if China attacked.

16.   Gingrich repeated them on Taiwan Wednesday and President Lee Teng-hui asked for advanced weaponry to defend the island.

17.   Gingrich said he told Wang Daohan, an adviser to President Jiang Zemin, that the United States would defend the island if China attacks it.

18.   On Thursday, protesters urged the Beijing government to send troops to defend the islands and to destroy all Japanese flags, insignia and lighthouses erected on the islands.

19.   President Bush, who has approved a big arms sale to Taiwan, says he would use military force to defend the island against any attack from China.

20.   Slightly more than half of Taiwanese believe that the United States will help defend the island if China launches an unprovoked attack, a newspaper poll reported Monday.