Trump Says He Has Not Decided on Taiwan Arms Package After Xi Jinping Concerns

U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that he had not made a decision on whether to move forward with a major arms package for Taiwan after hearing concerns about it from Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Trump made the remarks as he flew back to Washington after wrapping up critical talks in which both leaders said important progress was made in stabilizing U.S.-China relations even as deep differences persist between the world’s two biggest powers on Iran and Taiwan.

ABC News

Trump said, “I’ll be making decisions,” and added, “the last thing we need right now is a war that’s 9,500 miles away.”

The Associated Press reported that Trump’s Republican administration in December authorized a record-setting $11 billion weapons package for Taipei, and lawmakers also approved a $14 billion arms sale to Taiwan in January that cannot advance until Trump formally sends it to Congress.

Axios reported that Trump acknowledged that the U.S. had pledged under the 1982 “six assurances” policy not to consult with China about arms sales to Taiwan, but he seemed to dismiss that promise as outdated.

Trump told reporters, “What am I going to do, say I don't want to talk to you about it because I have an agreement wrote in 1982? No, we discussed arms sales.”

AP News

The Associated Press said Trump’s consultation with Xi about arms sales to Taiwan may violate the so-called Six Assurances, and it quoted the second assurance stating the U.S. “did not agree to consult with the People’s Republic of China on arms sales to Taiwan.”

In Taipei, the Taipei Times reported that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said arms sales to Taiwan are “a clear security commitment under the Taiwan Relations Act” and “a form of collective deterrence against regional threats.”

Beyond Taiwan, Trump told reporters he raised a potential three-way nuclear deal involving the U.S., Russia and China, and he said he got “a very a positive response,” adding, “This is the beginning.”

“Trump weighs Taiwan arms package after summit aimed at steadying US-China ties Trump weighs Taiwan arms package after summit aimed at steadying US-China ties BEIJING (AP) — U”

Associated Press

The Associated Press said the last nuclear arms pact, known as the New START treaty, between Russia and the United States expired in February, removing any caps on the two largest atomic arsenals for the first time in more than a half-century.

The Associated Press also reported that the Pentagon estimates China will have more than 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030, while Beijing’s arsenal exceeds 600 warheads and the U.S. and Russia are each estimated to have more than 5,000 warheads.

Trump and Xi held nearly three hours of talks over tea and lunch, and the Associated Press said Xi called the visit a “milestone” while Trump told reporters, “It’s been really a great couple of days.”