“WASHINGTON -- A major U.S. arms-sales package for Taiwan is in limbo following pressure from Chinese leader Xi Jinping and concerns among some in the Trump administration that greenlighting the weapons deal would derail President Trump's coming visit to Beijing, U.S. officials said.
In a phone call this month with Trump, Xi urged caution on U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, the democratic, self-governing island China claims as part of its territory. Trump wants to avoid antagonizing China ahead of his visit, set for the first week of April, the officials said.
Asked on Monday whether he planned to send more weapons to Taiwan, Trump said he had discussed the issue with Xi. "I'm talking to him about it. We had a good conversation, and we'll make a determination pretty soon," he told reporters. "We have a very good relationship with President Xi," Trump added.
Beijing was angered by the $11.1 billion in arms sales for Taiwan the U.S. unveiled in December. U.S. officials had been discussing approving additional sales when Xi pressed Trump about the issue during the Feb. 4 phone call.
Trump's advisers are vacillating on the decision, said a U.S. official familiar with the arms package, who insisted that, while Xi was adamant, Trump wouldn't be pushed around by China. Trump wants to preserve a trade truce with Xi, a second U.S. official said, so the timing of an arms-sale decision is being carefully considered, the person said.
In response to a request for comment, a U.S. official said the arms sales are working their way through the administration's internal process.
Congress hasn't officially been notified of new arms sales, but a congressional aide said it had been expected to include Patriot antimissile interceptors and other weapons.
U.S. support for Taiwan has long been a source of friction with Beijing, which has said it is prepared to seize the island by force if necessary. An official Chinese statement on the Trump-Xi call said Taiwan "is the most important issue in China-U. S. relations" and that the U.S. "must handle the issue of arms sales to Taiwan with prudence."
Though President Joe Biden repeatedly said the U.S. would defend Taiwan if China attacked, Trump has stuck to the longstanding policy of ambiguity about whether Washington would take military action to stop a Chinese invasion of the island. That stance is intended to deter Beijing, while also dissuading Taipei from declaring formal independence.
Washington remains Taiwan's most important security backer. The 1979 Taiwan Relations Act obligated Washington to provide the island with arms for its own self-defense.
Ahead of Trump's anticipated April visit to Beijing, both sides are looking to start formal negotiations over "deliverables" -- the tangible outcomes that will determine whether the summit is a substantive reset or merely high-stakes political theater.
The recent phone call between Trump and Xi is expected to trigger a round of high-level preparatory meetings between Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng.
Beijing's primary objective is stability through a "truce extension" that moves beyond the current one-year trade framework, people close to the Chinese government said.
The people close to the Chinese government said Beijing is considering a reciprocal reopening of the Houston and Chengdu consulates, which were closed in 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out. This move is being floated as a return to diplomatic normalcy, the people said.” [1]
1. World News: Chinese Pressure Risks U.S. Arms Sale To Taiwan. Leary, Alex; Wei, Lingling; Gordon, Michael R. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 19 Feb 2026: A6.
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