Taiwanese Minister of National Defense Yen Teh-fa says his country is seeking to purchase arms from the United States, including F-35 multirole fighter jets and possibly M1 Abrams main battle tanks, Taipei Times reported May 14. The minister also said Taiwan should work toward a self-sufficient defense industry that would not rely entirely on U.S. arms sales. Tension has mounted between the United States and China over Taiwan , which Beijing sees as a Chinese province .