Overview
- After meetings in Beijing, Trump said he is holding a $14 billion Taiwan weapons package “in abeyance” and may use it as leverage with China.
- The White House summary of the trip focused on trade and Iran, outlined new U.S.–China boards on commerce and investment, and skipped any mention of Taiwan.
- The fact sheet cited an initial Chinese nod to buy 200 Boeing jets and to expand U.S. farm imports, plus a joint call to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
- In Taipei’s pushback, President Lai said Taiwan “will never be sacrificed or traded,” and envoy Alexander Yui urged steady U.S. arms sales to deter China.
- Concern grew in South Korea and other capitals that using Taiwan arms as a bargaining chip could unsettle long-standing U.S. signals built on the Taiwan Relations Act and the Reagan-era “Six Assurances.”