Taiwan Confident US Arms Sales Continue as Xi Visits Washington — SkimNews
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- Taiwan's Defence Ministry said it will maintain close contact with the US Department of War and push forward its arms procurement deal, with spokesperson Maj. Gen. Chiao Fu-chun telling reporters in Tainan that the deal will "proceed as planned."
- China pressed Washington to halt arms sales during a May Trump-Xi summit in Beijing, after which the US paused a record-breaking $14 billion package, with Trump describing arms sales to Taiwan as a "very good negotiating chip."
- Washington approved an additional $11 billion arms package for Taiwan in December, underscoring continued congressional and executive support for the self-ruled island.
- Taiwan's military conducted live-fire drills on September 23, 2026, featuring the domestically developed "Cheetah" eight-wheeled armoured vehicle, which can be fitted with a 105mm cannon and reach 100 kph.
- Taiwan's defence budget will exceed 3% of GDP for the first time in 2027, with President Lai Ching-te pledging to reach 5% by 2030 in response to Trump's pressure for higher spending.
Why it matters: Taiwan's confidence in continued US arms supplies directly counters Beijing's leverage play at the Trump-Xi summit, where Trump himself once called those sales a negotiating chip. With a record $14B package paused earlier in 2026 and only an $11B December package cleared, the actual pace of deliveries remains the hard test of that confidence.
Ask SkimNews
