Trump downplays Taiwan concerns before meeting with Xi

President Donald Trump said he is prepared to discuss U.S. arms sales to Taiwan during his upcoming visit to Beijing, adding that his personal rapport with Chinese President Xi Jinping, in his view, would deter a Chinese invasion of the island.

The White House announced that Trump will travel with senior U.S. executives, including Elon Musk and Apple chief Tim Cook, for a trip expected to emphasize the president’s ambition to expand trade.

China indicated that it hopes the visit—scheduled from Wednesday to Friday and the first by a U.S. president since Trump’s 2017 trip—will promote greater stability between the world’s two largest economies.

When asked whether the United States should continue selling weapons to Taiwan, a point of tension for Beijing, Trump did not give a direct answer. He said on Monday, “I’m going to have that discussion with President Xi.”

“President Xi would like us not to, and I’ll have that discussion. That’s one of the many things I’ll be talking about,” he told reporters in the Oval Office.

After referencing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Trump remarked about Taiwan, “I don’t think it’ll happen.”

“I think we’ll be fine. I have a very good relationship with President Xi. He knows I don’t want that to happen,” he added.

Trump also noted that the United States is “very, very far away” compared with China.

In response, Taiwan’s foreign ministry pledged to “continue to strengthen cooperation” with the United States, its principal security partner, and to “build effective deterrence capabilities in order to jointly maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”

China’s foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Tuesday that “China’s opposition to the United States’ sale of weapons to China’s Taiwan region is consistent and clear.”

– Congress backs Taiwan –

The United States recognizes only Beijing diplomatically, but domestic law obliges Washington to provide defensive weapons to Taiwan, a self‑governing democracy that China claims as its own.

Under the 1982 “Six Assurances,” a cornerstone of U.S. policy toward Taiwan after the shift in diplomatic recognition, the United States affirmed it would not “consult” with Beijing on arms sales to the island.

Trump has repeatedly criticized allies for not spending enough on their own defense. Days before his China trip, Taiwan’s parliament approved a $25 billion defense spending bill, though it fell short of the government’s original request.

Citing the parliamentary vote, a group of U.S. senators led by Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, urged Trump to immediately approve a $14 billion arms package for Taiwan.

“We urge you and your team to make clear that America’s support for Taiwan is inviolable,” the senators wrote, noting that the coalition includes two centrist Republicans.

They added that Trump should state, “American support for Taiwan is not up for negotiation.”

– New sanctions over Iran –

Trump postponed the China trip once because of the war he launched with Israel against Iran, which continues to reject his calls for a settlement.

China is the largest foreign buyer of Iranian oil, a market Trump has tried to shut down through unilateral U.S. sanctions.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told CBS News’ “60 Minutes” on Sunday that he was displeased by Beijing’s transfer of missile technology to Iran.

On Monday, the Trump administration’s Treasury Department imposed sanctions on 12 individuals and entities it said facilitated the sale and shipment of Iranian oil to China.

The sanctions were announced as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent prepared for Trump’s visit, meeting Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in Seoul on Wednesday.

Bessent and He have served as chief negotiators for the United States and China on all trade and