TAIPEI (TVBS News) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday (May 11) he would discuss arms sales to Taiwan with Chinese President Xi Jinping when they meet in Beijing this week. The announcement has raised concerns in Taipei about whether the island's defense needs could become a bargaining chip in broader U.S.-China negotiations.
"I'm going to have that discussion with President Xi," Trump told reporters at the White House when asked about Washington's longstanding support for Taiwan's defense. "President Xi would like us not to, and I'll have that discussion. That's one of the many things I'll be talking about."
Trump is scheduled to arrive in Beijing on Wednesday evening for a two-day summit with Xi, with talks set for Thursday. The White House has said the summit will focus on trade, tariffs, and artificial intelligence. A U.S. official told Reuters the meeting signals no change in policy toward Taiwan.
U.S. senators from both parties urged the Trump administration Monday to move forward with arms sales to Taiwan. Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina said at a Brookings Institution event that the United States must make clear its position has not changed. "All promised substantive support must move forward," Tillis said.
In December, Trump announced the largest-ever U.S. weapons package for Taiwan, valued at more than US$11 billion (around NT$345.7 billion). The Trump administration has reportedly not moved ahead with deliveries from that package ahead of the presidential summit, CNBC reported. The arms transfers have long been a source of friction in U.S.-China relations.
It remains unclear whether Trump intends to discuss the arms sales themselves or Xi's objections to them, according to Taiwan's United Daily News. The ambiguity has fueled speculation about whether the U.S. commitment to Taiwan's defense could be subject to negotiation during the summit. Trump said he does not intend to make the issue his main focus.
Taiwan's Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) responded Tuesday, saying the U.S. has repeatedly stated it does not want and will not allow any side to unilaterally change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait. "That is the most trustworthy aspect of Taiwan-U.S. relations," Cho said, adding that Taiwan will continue to advance friendship and cooperation with Washington based on this understanding.
Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) told legislators at Taiwan's legislature a day earlier that the government is closely monitoring the summit and remains in continuous communication with Washington. "We are confident in the stable development of Taiwan-U.S. relations," Lin said, though he acknowledged that Xi may try to "entangle" Taiwan-related issues during the talks.
Lin said U.S. policy toward Taiwan would remain grounded in the "Six Assurances," a set of commitments made by the Reagan administration in 1982. The assurances include a pledge not to consult with Beijing before making decisions on arms sales to Taiwan. Congress has passed 11 laws referencing the Six Assurances since 2017. "That's in the U.S. interest," Lin said.
Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday it is closely monitoring U.S.-China interactions and protecting Taiwan's interests through communication with Washington. Spokesperson Hsiao Kuang-wei (蕭光偉) said China's continued opposition to U.S. arms sales to Taiwan is "untenable," adding that the ministry welcomes U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's recent reaffirmation that Washington's Taiwan policy remains unchanged.
Analysts warned of significant consequences if Trump softens his rhetoric on Taiwan. Bonnie Glaser, managing director of the Indo-Pacific program at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, told CNBC that any such shift, "even an ambiguous one, would be 'the most destabilizing outcome' of the summit."
Glaser added that a tacit or explicit bargain in which Washington appears to concede a sphere of influence to Beijing over Taiwan could embolden China. Such a deal, made in exchange for concessions elsewhere, could prompt Beijing to take more assertive steps to erode Taiwan's autonomy, she said.
Chinese scholars have signaled that Beijing will not compromise on Taiwan. Gao Fei (高飛), dean of China Foreign Affairs University, said on state broadcaster CCTV that "the Taiwan issue is China's core interest — we will absolutely not back down." Chinese officials have described Taiwan as "the biggest point of risk" in the bilateral relationship with the U.S.
Taiwan's legislature, the Legislative Yuan, approved a special defense budget of NT$780 billion (around US$24.8 billion) last Friday to purchase missiles and other weapons from the United States. The amount fell well short of the NT$1.25 trillion (around US$39.8 billion) sought by the government to counter an increasingly aggressive Chinese military.
China claims the democratically governed island as its own territory, a contention Taiwan rejects. Washington follows a "one China policy," acknowledging China's position but taking no view on Taiwan's sovereignty. The U.S. is Taiwan's most important international backer and is bound by law to help with its defense.
Trump expressed confidence that tensions over Taiwan would not escalate during his presidency. "I don't think it'll happen," he said without elaborating. "I think we'll be fine. I have a very good relationship with President Xi. He knows I don't want that to happen." The summit, which will also address Iran amid U.S. efforts to leverage Beijing's influence in the Middle East, is set to conclude Friday. ◼ (At time of reporting, US$1 equals approximately NT$31.43)