Xi expected to press Trump to halt arms sales to Taiwan
Taipei is growing increasingly concerned over a frozen $14 billion arms sales deal that Trump has described as “a very good negotiating chip.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping is reportedly planning to raise the issue of US arms sales to Taiwan with President Donald Trump during their upcoming talks, according to Reuters. This comes amid concerns in Taipei over a $14 billion arms deal with the US, which Trump has described as a "very good negotiating chip." The Taiwanese government has been encouraging foreign investment in the US, with the hope of building a "structural interdependence" that assures national security.
However, Trump's past criticism of Taiwan has raised doubts about his commitment to the island's security, with some arguing that it reflects a preference to prioritize other US-China priorities. Beijing appears to view Trump's "unpredictability on US commitments" as a "rare window of opportunity" to exert more influence on Taiwan, according to a Taiwanese government minister.
Brief written by urgent.news from Semafor's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
