One Issue That Could Upend Fragile U.S.-China Ties: Taiwan Arms — SkimNews
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- Xi Jinping is expected to urge Trump at this week's meeting to keep delaying $14 billion in proposed U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, and at their last meeting warned that mishandling Taiwan tensions could be "extremely dangerous" for both nuclear-armed powers.
- Xin Qiang, director of the Center for Taiwan Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai, said Taiwan is "the only issue that could cause relations between both sides to break down completely or erupt in conflict" and called continued arms-sale delay "the most critical issue."
- Trump described the proposed arms package — including missiles, anti-drone weaponry, and air-defense systems — as "a very good negotiating chip for us" after his May summit with Xi, and has since held off approving it.
- Beijing has long claimed self-governed Taiwan as its territory, while Taipei has relied on American military power to counter military threats from China.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other administration officials have "conspicuously avoided mentioning Taiwan in speeches," reflecting a broader muting of public references to the island.
Why it matters: Trump has already withheld the $14 billion package of missiles, anti-drone weaponry, and air-defense systems while treating it as bargaining leverage; if Xi secures a further delay, Taiwan forgoes defensive capabilities against Beijing without extracting any concrete U.S. concession in return, and the administration's growing silence on Taiwan signals how far the chip has already been played.
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