White House deflects as Trump weighs Taiwan arms sale delay amid Beijing pressure
US$11 billion package may be in jeopardy ahead of a Xi summit, raising concerns over Beijing’s leverage and Washington policy towards Taiwan
“I don’t have any announcement or updates to share,” said White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt.
On Monday, Trump told journalists he had discussed the potential sales with Xi.
“I’ve talked to him about it. We had a good conversation, and we’ll make a determination pretty soon,” Trump said earlier this week when asked about Xi’s opposition to the arms sale, Washington’s largest ever, adding that he has a “very good relationship with President Xi”.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that the proposed US arms sale to Taiwan has been thrown into limbo amid an intensifying pressure campaign from Beijing.
The US president’s comments have raised concern that he is violating the spirit of the “Six Assurances”, one of the framework documents governing US-Taiwan-Mainland dynamics, under which Washington pledged not to consult with or get pre-approval from Beijing involving weapon sales to the self-ruled island.