Taiwan-US Relations

Taiwan Officials Say Arms Sale Talks Continue After Trump-Xi Meeting

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By Andy Hsueh/Tiffany Wong

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After US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping's second meeting of the year, officials in Taipei say US policy toward Taiwan hasn't changed. They also say a pending arms sale, which Trump had previously referred to as a "negotiating chip" with China, is facing logistics delays. The two leaders are expected to meet twice more this year, at the APEC forum in Shenzhen and at the G20 leaders' summit in Miami.

Less than a week since US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met in Washington DC, the results of their meeting remain unclear.

Their talks lasted just a few hours, with policy experts still debating the details.

But officials here in Taipei say, actual changes to policy… like the US’s stance on Taiwan… aren’t visible.

CHEN MING-CHI, DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER:

"First, there haven’t been any unexpected developments this time around. Second, [during their last meeting] in May people had many concerns. But US policy toward Taiwan has remained restrained and making a drastic change would not be easy. While some events might appear linked I believe the foundational policy has not changed."

Regarding a stalled record 14 billion US dollar arms sale to Taiwan that Trump had previously referenced as a “negotiating chip” with China, officials said that the two sides are still in talks. Other officials say the delay is more about logistics.

SHEN YU-CHUNG, DEPUTY MINISTER MAINLAND AFFAIRS COUNCIL:

"The US is in the assessment phase and we are very confident that it’s about the timing and specific items in the arms sale. Once the timing and items are finalized we can proceed to the contracting stage."

But there’s also the issue of arms sales to China. The US ambassador to Beijing said that Trump had offered to sell arms to Xi during the meeting—which Trump later refuted.

The Mainland Affairs Council stressed that US cooperation with Taiwan on defense remains strong.

Trump and Xi are expected to meet again at the APEC economic forum in Shenzhen and G20 leaders’ summit in Miami later this year.

With more frequent meetings between the two leaders, officials in Taipei will be watching closely to see if the US holds steady or if Taiwan emerges as a point of contention.