White House deflects as Trump weighs Taiwan arms sale delay amid Beijing pressure
The White House declined on Wednesday to comment on reports that US President Donald Trump is weighing whether to cancel or delay a US$11 billion arms package to Taiwan, as he seeks to keep an expected April summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on track amid pressure from Beijing. “I don’t have any announcement or…
“I don’t have any announcement or updates to share,” said White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt.
On Monday, Trump told journalists he had discussed the potential sales with Xi.
“I’ve talked to him about it. We had a good conversation, and we’ll make a determination pretty soon,” Trump said earlier this week when asked about Xi’s opposition to the arms sale, Washington’s largest ever, adding that he has a “very good relationship with President Xi”.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that the proposed US arms sale to Taiwan has been thrown into limbo amid an intensifying pressure campaign from Beijing.
The US president’s comments have raised concern that he is violating the spirit of the “Six Assurances”, one of the framework documents governing US-Taiwan-Mainland dynamics, under which Washington pledged not to consult with or get pre-approval from Beijing involving weapon sales to the self-ruled island.
