Four US Republicans call for Trump to release Taiwan security funds
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The senators expressed concern over US President Donald Trump’s comment calling Taiwan “a very good negotiating chip”.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Four US Republican senators urged President Trump's administration to release over US$15 billion in stalled security aid to Taiwan amid his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
- The senators expressed concern over Trump's comment calling Taiwan "a very good negotiating chip" and criticised delays in approving military financing and arms sales to Taiwan.
- China demands a halt to Taiwan arms sales, considering Taiwan its territory; the Trump administration approved an US$11 billion package but delayed a further US$14 billion deal, using it as a negotiation tool.
AI generated
WASHINGTON – Four of US President Donald Trump’s fellow Republicans called on his administration on Sept 23 to release more than US$15 billion (S$19.2 billion) in stalled national security assistance for Taiwan, as he welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping for a three-day visit to Washington.
Xi is expected to press Trump to halt Taiwan arms sales altogether during his visit to Washington, sources briefed on the matter told Reuters.
US Senators Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the former Senate majority leader; John Cornyn of Texas, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Thom Tillis of North Carolina wrote to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth expressing concern about the funds.
The letter cites the State Department’s failure to move ahead with US$300 million in foreign military financing Congress appropriated for Taiwan, the Defence Department's failure to obligate US$1 billion and the administration's decision to withhold approval for a US$14 billion package of foreign military sales to the island.
“We are concerned by President Trump’s description of Taiwan as ‘a very good negotiating chip’ in engagements with Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party,” the letter said.
“It is difficult to imagine how the United States might credibly project influence deterrence in the Indo-Pacific if the price of keeping up diplomatic appearances is denying our partners key deterrent capabilities,” the letter said.
The State and Defence departments did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter.
Rubio, speaking to reporters in New York and asked about Taiwan arms sales, said the administration had to balance broader needs.
“I know everyone’s focused on Taiwan, but I want you to focus globally for a moment. If we sell you something, we don’t have it any more. Now, we may be able to make it in the future, but we don’t have it right now,” he said.
China regularly describes the issue of Taiwan, which Beijing views as its own territory, as its most sensitive and important diplomatic issue, and has repeatedly called for arms sales to stop.
The Trump administration in December approved an US$11 billion arms package to Taiwan, the largest ever. However, a second package, worth some US$14 billion, has been on hold for months.
After a May summit in Beijing with Xi, Trump said he was holding it in abeyance and described it as a “very good negotiating chip”.
Trump’s fellow Republicans in Congress rarely question his administration’s actions publicly. Three of the senators who signed the Sept 23 letter – McConnell, Cornyn and Tillis – are leaving the Senate at the end of 2026, with only Murkowski remaining. REUTERS