The president said he has not yet decided whether to move ahead with a major U.S. arms package for Taiwan.
President Donald Trump said on May 15 that Taiwan was a major topic of discussion during his summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and said he has not yet decided whether to proceed with a major U.S. arms package for the island, while expressing confidence that tensions over the self-governing island would not lead to war.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while traveling to Alaska on Friday, Trump said he and Xi spoke “a lot” about Taiwan during their meeting in Beijing, where the Chinese leader said that the issue of Taiwan could trigger clashes between the world’s two largest economies.
“On Taiwan, he does not want to see a fight for independence because that would be a very strong confrontation,” Trump said.
When asked whether a confrontation with China over Taiwan was possible, Trump expressed confidence that it’s unlikely that the situation will deteriorate into an outbreak of hostilities.
“I think we’ll be fine,” Trump said, adding that the Chinese leader “doesn’t want to see a war.”
Trump also confirmed that the two sides discussed U.S. arms sales to Taiwan “in great detail,” but indicated that he had made no final decision on an $11.1 billion weapons package approved by Washington in December 2025, the largest ever proposed for the island democracy.
“We discussed the Taiwan … whole thing with the arm sales in great detail, actually,” Trump said. “I’ll be making decisions.”
At another point during the gaggle, Trump told reporters on the issue of Taiwan arms sales, “I will make a determination over the next fairly short period.”
Prospective Taiwan Arms Sales
The package includes high-mobility artillery rocket systems, self-propelled howitzers, drones, Javelin anti-tank missiles, anti-armor systems, helicopter spare parts, and refurbishment kits for Harpoon missiles.
Trump declined to say whether the United States would defend Taiwan militarily in the event of a Chinese attack.
“I don’t want to say that,” Trump said. “There’s only one person that knows that … me.”
According to a statement released by the Chinese foreign ministry, Xi warned Trump that Washington “must exercise extra caution” in handling Taiwan.
“If it is handled properly, the bilateral relationship will enjoy overall stability,” the statement said. “Otherwise, the two countries will have clashes and even conflicts, putting the entire relationship in great jeopardy.”
The White House released a brief summary of the summit that did not mention Taiwan, instead highlighting discussions on Iran, trade, and maintaining shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who participated in the Beijing meetings, said Xi’s comments were expected and stressed that U.S. policy toward Taiwan had not changed.
By Tom Ozimek
