Trump waffles on Taiwan arms deal after Xi talks
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Trump and Xi inspect a guard of honor during a welcome ceremony in Beijing. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty
President Trump said Friday he's unsure whether he would greenlight a planned $14 billion weapons package for Taiwan after discussing arms sales in "great detail" with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Why it matters: The trip began with a warning from Xi about the potential for "conflicts" over Taiwan, and Trump made clear during the visit that he did not want to provoke one.
- "The last thing we need right now is a war that's 9,500 miles away," Trump told reporters on the plane back to D.C.
- He made that remark while discussing a $14 billion arms package, which includes missiles and air defense interceptors, that his administration has held up for months.
- Hawks on Capitol Hill think the way to deter a Chinese move on the self-governing island is to offer Taiwan more muscular support, though some analysts argue that U.S. pledges of weapons and political support for Taiwan will only make Beijing more likely to use force.
Zoom in: Trump acknowledged that the U.S. had pledged under the1982 "six assurances" policy not to consult with China about arms sales to Taiwan, but seemingly dismissed that promise as outdated.
- "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."
- "I'll be making decisions," Trump said, before noting that his priority was to avoid a war.
Between the lines: Such statements from Trump have alarmed the U.S.-friendly government in Taipei as well as allies in Japan and South Korea.
- Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has found her hawkish line on Taiwan increasingly out of step with the U.S. posture. Takaichi said Trump called from Air Force One to give her a "detailed" briefing on his talks with Xi.
- Trump also said on the plane that he'd have to talk to "the person who... is running Taiwan" about the arms sales issue, though Trump would infuriate Beijing if he actually did speak with President Lai Ching-te.
The arms sales issue is also sensitive in Taipei, even with the pro-autonomy Democratic Progressive Party in power.
- It took months for parliament to appropriate $25 billion to actually proceed with the pending $14 billion package and an $11 billion tranche Trump approved late last year.
- That earlier deal reportedly led Xi to warn Trump against further arms deliveries to Taiwan in a February call.
- Taiwan finally approved the funding earlier this month.
Zoom in: The biggest fear for Taiwan and its supporters heading into the summit was that Trump would agree to change official U.S. policy on Taiwan, perhaps to express explicit opposition to Taiwanese independence.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio affirmed that U.S. policy was unchanged.
- Instead, Trump reinforced the idea that Taiwan is a much higher priority for Xi than it is for him.
