As the communist regime in China ramps up its pressure against Taiwan, the United States needs to assist the island nation in maintaining a sufficient self-defense capacity, the top U.S. diplomat for Asia said on Dec.2. “As the threat and coercion from the People’s Republic of China increases, I think we need to respond as well in an appropriate way,” Daniel Kritenbrink, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, told reporters in Singapore, specifically citing support over self-defense and trade. While the United States doesn’t have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, it maintains robust ties with the democratic island under a framework set out in the Taiwan Relations Act, which obliges Washington to provide Taipei with the means to defend itself. “We intend to live up to our obligations: our rock-solid obligations and commitments,” said Kritenbrink, who is on a visit to Southeast Asia. The remark came as …