TAIPEI, March 26 (Reuters) - The top U.S. diplomat in

Taiwan sought to send a reassuring message that his government

supported the island on both boosting its defences and ensuring

energy supplies during the Iran war, in a speech on Thursday to

senior Taiwanese leaders.

The United States is Chinese-claimed Taiwan's most important

arms supplier and international backer, despite the absence of

formal diplomatic ties.

Speaking at a dinner of the American Chamber of Commerce in

Taiwan, with President Lai Ching-te and other top officials in

the audience, Raymond Greene said U.S. commitments under the

Taiwan Relations Act - which, among other things, mandates arms

sales - remained "rock solid".

"Our goal continues to be to create an environment in which

the two sides of the Taiwan Strait can resolve their differences

peacefully and free from coercion. To achieve this, we see

dialogue and deterrence as two sides of the same stable coin,"

he said.

"In this context, we continue to support Taiwan's efforts to

acquire critical defence capabilities," Greene added, pointing

to Taiwan's focus on acquiring cost-effective systems such as

drones and integrated air and missile defences.

TRUMP TO MEET XI IN MAY

Greene, who heads the American Institute in Taiwan, which

handles relations in the absence of formal diplomatic ties, was

speaking just a day after U.S. President Donald Trump said he

would meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in mid-May, a closely

watched trip postponed due to the Iran war.

Beijing, which has never renounced the use of force to bring

the island under its control, has demanded an end to U.S. arms

sales to democratically governed Taiwan.

Greene also pledged that to "further mitigate the effects of

ongoing global commodity supply disruptions" the United States

looked forward to supplying Taiwan with more crude oil and

natural gas, though he did not directly mention the war in the

Middle East.

Taiwan's state-owned refiner, CPC, and U.S. LNG exporter

Cheniere Energy had recently agreed that the U.S. firm

would double CPC's imports of gas to the island, he added.

"As I said last year, America stands ready to support

Taiwan's energy needs across all sources and technologies."