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Trump ties Taiwan to China
U.S. President Donald Trump said he was undecided about whether to approve a planned $14 billion arms package for Taiwan after discussing arms sales in "great detail" with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a two-day summit in Beijing.
“"It's a very good negotiating chip for us."”
Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he would make a determination "over the next fairly short period" on whether to approve the sales, and said it depends on China.
In a Fox News interview with Bret Baier taped in Beijing, Trump said he may or may not approve the Taiwan arms sales and called them "a very good negotiating chip for us."
Trump also said the last thing the U.S. needs is "a war that's 9,500 miles away," framing his approach around avoiding conflict while he weighs the Taiwan decision.
Taipei and analysts react
Taiwan’s presidential office sought to smooth over tensions by saying "that the consistent U.S. policy and position toward Taiwan remain unchanged," while emphasizing that U.S. arms sales are stipulated by law.
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te’s spokesperson Karen Kuo said China is the "sole destabilizing factor" in the Indo-Pacific region and linked U.S.-Taiwan military sales to the Taiwan Relations Act.
William Yang, a Northeast Asia senior analyst for International Crisis Group, said conditioning U.S. arms sales to Taiwan on negotiations with China could play into "nightmare scenarios" in which Taiwan is "on the menu."
Axios reported that Trump’s statements alarmed the U.S.-friendly government in Taipei and allies in Japan and South Korea, and said Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi found her hawkish line on Taiwan increasingly out of step with the U.S. posture.
What’s at stake next
Trump’s comments leave the future of a $14 billion arms deal uncertain, with Politico saying the president’s deliberation could amount to a significant change in American foreign policy after his summit with Xi.
“"that’s running Taiwan."”
Politico reported that Trump said he needed to speak to the person "that’s running Taiwan," and it noted his refusal to commit to coming to Taiwan’s defense in the event of a Chinese attack.
AP said Trump’s consultation with Xi about arms sales to Taiwan may violate the so-called Six Assurances, including the principle that the U.S. "did not agree to consult with the People’s Republic of China on arms sales to Taiwan."
The same AP account said Trump’s remarks came as the U.S. had authorized a record-setting $11 billion weapons package for Taipei in December that "has yet to move forward," while lawmakers approved the $14 billion sale in January that "cannot advance until Trump formally sends it to Congress."
