Taiwan Envoy Presses Trump to Deliver $14B Arms Sale
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- Alexander Yui, Taiwan's representative to the U.S., said on CBS's 'Face the Nation' on Sunday that Taipei encourages the Trump administration to deliver on future arms sales, citing the Taiwan Relations Act and consistent U.S. policy since 1979.
- President Trump said he would hold off on a $14 billion arms sale to create leverage in talks with China, telling Fox News the delay is a 'very good negotiating chip' as he seeks Beijing's support to end the Iran war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
- Yui defended Trump's arms-sale record, highlighting his first-term sale of F-16 Block 70s and two sales during his second term, while also arguing the Six Assurances — 1982 Reagan-era principles barring U.S. consultation with China on Taiwan arms — were not violated in Trump's talks with Xi Jinping.
- House Democrats argued the delay undercuts 'maintenance of effective cross-Strait deterrence' and signals the possibility of China 'unduly influencing' U.S. foreign policy on Taiwan.
- Yui warned the delay could lead to greater conflict, telling CBS, 'If we want to prevent a war from happening, I think it's best that Taiwan is strong, able to defend itself,' and noting continued sales would spare the U.S. from sending troops '9,500 miles away.'
Why it matters: Taipei is pressing the White House to prioritize a $14 billion defensive package over short-term leverage with Beijing, even as Trump frames the delay as a tool to win Chinese cooperation on ending the Iran war. The dispute puts the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act and the Six Assurances at the center of a fight over whether the hold weakens cross-strait deterrence.
