U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated that he is still considering whether to approve an arms deal with Taiwan worth a total of US$14 billion (about S$18.1 billion), and hinted that a call with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te remains in the works.
According to The Washington Post, on Friday (June 5) local time, while aboard Air Force One, Trump was asked by accompanying reporters whether he would approve the arms sale to Taiwan, to which he replied: “We are considering it.”
When asked whether he would speak with Lai Ching-te, he said: “I will talk to him anytime.”
After returning from a visit to China last month, Trump previously stated twice that before deciding whether to approve a new batch of defensive weapons sales to Taiwan, he would first talk to Lai Ching-te.
Since Washington broke off diplomatic relations with Taipei and established relations with Beijing in 1979, there has been only one brief conversation between U.S. and Taiwanese leaders—in 2016, when President-elect Trump received a congratulatory phone call from then-Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, an act that sparked a strong protest from Beijing.
Regarding Trump’s latest remarks, the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. issued a statement warning that such a call could undermine delicate progress in China-U.S. relations at a sensitive time. The statement urged the U.S. government “to handle the Taiwan issue with the utmost prudence” and to avoid sending the wrong signal to Taiwan.
On the Taiwan side, according to a United Daily News report, when Lai Ching-te was asked by the media on Saturday (June 6) at a public event whether he had spoken with Trump, he simply replied in a low-key manner: “Thank you.”
Regarding Trump’s latest remarks, the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. issued a statement warning that such a call could undermine delicate progress in China-U.S. relations at a sensitive time. The statement urged the U.S. government “to handle the Taiwan issue with the utmost prudence” and to avoid sending the wrong signal to Taiwan.
On the Taiwan side, according to a United Daily News report, when Lai Ching-te was asked by the media on Saturday (June 6) at a public event whether he had spoken with Trump, he simply replied in a low-key manner: “Thank you.”
Lai Ching-te had previously stated that if the call takes place, he would emphasize to Trump the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait for global security and state that Mainland China is playing the role of a “disrupter” of cross-strait peace. He also plans to explain to Trump that Taiwan’s increase in defense budget is aimed at responding to threats, and that arms purchases from the U.S. are an important means to maintain stability in the Taiwan Strait.
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States also reiterated on Friday that Taiwan intends to “maintain close contacts” with the U.S. on arms sales and other issues. As for whether a call between the leaders of the U.S. and Taiwan is scheduled, “it will be announced by the U.S. side.”
However, CBS News reported on Friday (May 29), citing sources familiar with the matter, that Trump will postpone the call with Lai Ching-te until after Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to the U.S. in September this year.
After completing his visit to China, Trump has become more cautious regarding the arms deal to Taiwan. Acting Secretary of the Navy Tom Kohler announced at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on May 21 that, given massive weapons needs due to the U.S.-Iran war, the U.S. is currently suspending the arms sale to Taiwan.
However, Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized that the arms deal is currently under internal Pentagon review, not “suspended”; the correct term is ongoing review. U.S. policy toward Taiwan has not changed.
Regarding this ambiguity, Jieh Chung, a researcher at the Taiwan Strategy and Prospects Association, told United Daily News that Trump is engaged in psychological warfare with Mainland China, attempting to use this to push Beijing to accelerate the fulfillment of the purchase commitments made at the “Xi-Trump summit.”
Li Ta-chung, director of the Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies at Tamkang University, also believes that Trump’s actions underscore using the arms sales issue as a bargaining chip in dealings with Beijing.