Taiwan’s government thanked the United States for its support and said it is maintaining close contact with Washington ahead of Thursday’s Trump-Xi summit. Lee said Taiwan was monitoring the talks and that the US had repeatedly reaffirmed its support.
China claims Taiwan as its territory and reiterated on Wednesday that the issue was a “red line” the US must not cross. Sources briefed on Xi’s visit told Reuters he is expected to press Trump to halt US arms sales to Taiwan altogether.
The Trump administration approved an $11 billion arms package for Taiwan in December, the largest ever, while a second package worth about $14 billion has been held up for months. After meeting Xi in Beijing in May, Trump said he was holding the second package in abeyance as a “very good negotiating chip.” On Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration had to balance broader needs, noting that arms sold would no longer be available to the US.
