Chinese defence ministry urges extreme caution over Taiwan arms sales ahead of Trump-Xi summit
ITA•China urged the United States to exercise “extreme caution” over arms sales to Taiwan before the Trump-Xi summit. A second package worth about $14 billion has been held up for months after the administration approved an $11 billion package in December.
1. Beijing warns Washington
Chinese defence ministry spokesperson Jiang Bin said the Taiwan issue was the most important issue in U.S.-China relations and urged Washington to handle it with “extreme caution.” He also said the countries’ military relationship should remain stable, sound and sustainable.
2. Arms package in abeyance
The Trump administration approved an $11 billion arms package for Taiwan in December, while a second package worth about $14 billion has been held up for months. Trump previously described the second package as a “very good negotiating chip.” Sources briefed on the matter said Xi was expected to press Trump to halt Taiwan arms sales altogether during his Washington visit.
3. Taiwan thanks U.S.
Taiwan said it was maintaining close contact with the United States ahead of the summit and thanked Washington for its support. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration had to balance broader needs, noting that weapons sold abroad were not available for other uses.
