Trump Weighs Restricting Taiwan Arms Package After China Summit, Drawing Pushback From Taipei and Congress

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief

(Worthy News) – President Donald Trump is weighing whether to restrict a multibillion-dollar arms package for Taiwan after his two-day visit to China, a move that could mark a significant shift in Washington’s long-standing security posture toward the island democracy.

The pending package, reportedly valued at about $14 billion, includes advanced missiles and missile-defense interceptors. Mr. Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he would decide soon whether to proceed with the sale and said he planned to speak with Taiwan President Lai Ching-te about the issue.

The president’s comments came after his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who warned that U.S. mishandling of Taiwan could lead to conflict. Mr. Trump said Mr. Xi asked whether the United States would defend Taiwan if China launched an attack, but the president said he declined to give a direct answer.

“I made no commitment either way. We’ll see what happens,” Mr. Trump said.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” that the administration was considering Taiwan arms sales as part of broader negotiations with Beijing. “The reality is, it’s really important for the United States and China to have a stable relationship,” he said.

Taiwan quickly pushed back.

Mr. Lai said Taiwan would not be pressured into surrendering its freedom, sovereignty, or democratic way of life. In a social media post, he said Taiwan is not seeking to provoke conflict but must preserve its ability to defend itself.

“The Republic of China, Taiwan, is a sovereign and independent democratic country,” Mr. Lai said, adding that U.S. arms sales are grounded in the Taiwan Relations Act and remain essential to peace and deterrence.

The 1979 Taiwan Relations Act requires the United States to provide Taiwan with defensive arms and maintain the capacity to resist coercion or force that would threaten Taiwan’s security or its social and economic system.

The debate also touches one of the Reagan-era Six Assurances, which state that the United States has not agreed to consult Beijing on arms sales to Taiwan.

Taiwan’s defense concerns have intensified as China increases military activity around the island. Taiwan’s Defense Ministry reported Chinese warships and warplanes operating near Taiwan after the summit, including jets crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait.

Mr. Lai accused Beijing of being the true source of regional instability, citing China’s military exercises, gray-zone operations, economic pressure, and political coercion against Taiwan and neighboring countries.

China claims Taiwan as its territory, though Taiwan has been governed separately from mainland China since 1949 and operates its own government, military, currency, and passport system.

The arms-sale question drew bipartisan concern on Capitol Hill.

Rep. Michael McCaul, Texas Republican and former chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Washington must arm Taiwan so it can deter aggression from Xi’s Communist regime. Rep. John Moolenaar, Michigan Republican and chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, said America should stand by its commitments and oppose any unilateral attempt to change the status quo.

Democrats also urged the administration to move forward. Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York and other House Democrats pressed Mr. Trump to continue arms sales, while Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire led a group of Democratic senators calling on the White House to formally notify Congress of the $14 billion package.

Mr. Trump has said he does not believe China will invade or blockade Taiwan while he is in office, though he suggested Beijing could act after his term ends in January 2029. He also criticized Mr. Lai, saying Taiwan’s leader “wants to go independent” and calling that “a risky thing.”

Taiwan rejects that framing, arguing that it is defending the existing status quo rather than trying to ignite a confrontation. Mr. Lai said peace depends on strength and on the will of Taiwan’s people to protect freedom and democracy.

The dispute underscores a delicate test for the Trump administration: whether Washington can seek stability with Beijing without weakening deterrence in the Taiwan Strait.

For Taiwan, the issue is not merely a diplomatic bargaining point. It is a question of survival in the face of an increasingly assertive Communist China.

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