Trump to decide soon on Taiwan arms sale, non-committal to China’s Xi

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE - US President Donald Trump said he made no commitment to Chinese President Xi Jinping over Taiwan, and would make a decision soon over a planned US$14 billion (S$17.92 billion) arms deal with the island.

“On Taiwan he feels very strongly, I made no commitment either way,” Mr Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on May 15.

The US president said he would ultimately “make a determination over the next fairly short period” about the weapons after speaking to the person “that’s running Taiwan,” without specifying who he means. 

Mr Trump said he and Mr Xi “talked a lot” about the issue, and the Chinese leader “does not want to see a fight for independence, because that would be a very strong confrontation.”

Mr Trump also said Mr Xi asked him directly if the US would defend Taiwan in a conflict.

“There’s only one person that knows that, you know, it is me, I’m the only person,” Mr Trump said. 

“I said, I don’t talk about that,” he continued.

Mr Trump’s extended conversation with Mr Xi over Taiwan policy was itself remarkable, and represented a possible break that could reverberate both internationally and domestically.

The US has a long-standing policy of strategic ambiguity over whether it would come to the aid of Taiwan if it is attacked by China, with Washington reserving the right to use force but never explicitly saying whether it would actually intervene.

But negotiating any arms transfers with Mr Xi would flout diplomatic tradition.

US-Taiwan relations have been dictated since 1982 by President Ronald Reagan’s “six assurances,” which take a deliberately vague stance toward the island’s sovereignty but explicitly state that the US would not consult with China on arms sales to Taiwan and would not revise the Taiwan Relations Act, which requires Washington to provide the island with defensive arms.

Mr Trump was asked explicitly whether he risked undermining the assurances, a bipartisan bedrock of US foreign policy, by a reporter aboard Air Force One.

He responded by saying 1982 was “a long way” away, but reiterated he didn’t make commitments to Mr Xi.

At the same time, he sowed doubt about whether he would follow through with the arms sale.

“I think the last thing we need right now is a war that’s 9,500 miles away,” Mr Trump said.

A representative for Taiwan did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mr Trump’s remarks come after the Chinese president issued an unusually blunt warning that the two nations could descend into conflict if the Taiwan issue is mismanaged.

Taiwan, a democratically self-governing island that China claims as its territory, has long been a geopolitical flashpoint for Washington and Beijing. 

US officials sought to immediately downplay any perceived fresh tensions, with their readout of the meeting making no mention of Taiwan.

Both sides reiterated their long-stated stance on the issue and everyone understands each other’s position, a senior administration official said on May 14 when asked about the Trump-Xi meeting.

“US policy on the issue of Taiwan is unchanged as of today, and as of the meeting that we had here today,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBC on May 14, referring to Washington’s long–held policy of supporting the island without recognising its sovereignty.

“It was raised, they always raise it on their side, we always make clear our position, and we move on to the other topics. We know where they stand, and I think they know where we stand.”

While Mr Trump and Mr Xi’s closed-door meeting on May 14 was still underway, Beijing released a readout of the Chinese president’s remarks that underscored how much the self-ruling island continues to strain US-China relations. 

“The Taiwan issue is the most important issue in China-US relations,” Mr Xi said, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

“If mishandled, the two nations will experience collision or even clashes, pushing the entire China-US relationship into a highly dangerous situation.”

China has sternly opposed a pending US arms package to Taiwan, and asked the US to officially declare that it “opposes” the island’s independence.

Any Mr Trump effort to quash the planned US$14 billion US arms sale to Taipei would likely unleash a bipartisan backlash in Washington.

If the White House pushes the deal through, Mr Trump will face Beijing’s wrath. 

The issue is likely to surface again in September, when the Chinese leader is set to visit the White House for the second of four planned meetings in 2026. BLOOMBERG