US President Donald Trump this summer refused to provide $400 million in military aid to Taiwan. He is trying to use this decision to achieve a trade agreement with China and a possible summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. This is reported by The Washington Post, citing five sources, writes UNN.
Details
According to WP, this decision, according to five sources familiar with the situation, marked a sharp change in Washington's policy towards the self-governing island of Taiwan, which China considers its territory, but "it could still be reversed."
According to sources, the $400 million package included ammunition and attack drones and would have been "significantly more lethal" than previous arms deliveries. The White House said that no final decision has been made yet, while the Taiwanese representative office in Washington declined to comment.
US military officials warned that it is currently very dangerous to leave Taipei without weapons and military support amid the rapid strengthening of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.
This would be an absolutely inappropriate time for the US to take its foot off the gas pedal
Previously, the administration of former US President Joe Biden consistently approved aid to Taiwan. Total spending on weapons and military support during Biden's tenure reached over $2 billion. Trump, however, is convinced that Taiwan, with its developed economy, should purchase weapons independently, similar to European countries, the publication writes.
Last month, at a meeting between US and Taiwanese defense officials in Anchorage, the parties agreed on a large-scale arms package, four sources familiar with the negotiations said. Taiwan plans to pay for the new arms package, which could amount to billions of dollars, by passing an additional defense spending bill currently being debated in the legislature.
According to sources, the package will consist almost exclusively of "asymmetric" equipment, such as drones, missiles, and sensors to monitor the island's coast. Nevertheless, the delivery of these next-generation weapons could take years. Taipei is already awaiting billions of dollars in weapons, including F-16 fighter jets and Harpoon anti-ship missiles.
This week, the administration informally warned Congress about a potential $500 million arms sale to Taiwan, according to a congressional aide who declined to specify what equipment was being purchased.
Meanwhile, senior Trump administration officials have held phone calls with their Chinese counterparts in recent weeks as the US president prepares for a possible summit with Xi this fall.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who spoke with Chinese Defense Minister Admiral Dong Jun this month, "made it clear that the United States does not seek conflict with China, nor does it seek regime change or the strangulation of the PRC," according to a Pentagon statement.
Recall
In recent weeks, China has significantly intensified its military rhetoric, including demonstrating new nuclear deterrence capabilities, holding high-profile military parades, and taking a tough stance on Taiwan.
US President Donald Trump announced that he would hold talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on September 19. He also said that a major trade meeting in Europe between the US and China went very well.
Earlier, the Financial Times wrote that the prospects of a Trump-Xi summit in Beijing were overshadowed by tariffs and the fentanyl issue.