Lawmakers are pressing Trump to support the military in Taiwan after the Xi summit
Washington – Lawmakers on both sides say the US should continue supplying arms to Taiwan after President Trump, at the end of his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, said he had not decided whether to go ahead with arms sales to the island.
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One Friday after departing Beijing, Mr. Trump said he and Xi “talked a lot about Taiwan” during their meeting and confirmed that the Chinese leader brought US arms sales. The president said he was “not committed in any way” to the issue and declined to say publicly whether the US would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack.
The remarks quickly drew attention on Capitol Hill, where Taiwan has long enjoyed strong bipartisan support and lawmakers have been pressing the administration to move forward with a delayed $14 billion arms deal approved by Congress in January.
Rep. Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican and former chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said on Friday that the US must “arm Taiwan to be able to defend itself to deter Chairman Xi.” McCaul said during the summit, Xi was “very aggressive” toward Taiwan and added that “a lot [Xi] the one in question was in Taiwan.”
When asked if the president has not made a decision on the arms sale, McCaul replied that there should be a decision.
During the conference, Xi told Mr. Trump that the Taiwan question is the most important issue in the relationship between China and the US, according to China’s reading of their meeting. A Chinese ministry spokesman said Xi made it clear that if Taiwan is “handled properly, bilateral relations will be completely stable.” Otherwise, “the two countries will have conflicts and even conflicts, which puts the whole relationship in serious danger.”
The ministry said Xi also told Mr. Trump that “‘Taiwan independence’ and cross-Strait peace are as irreconcilable as fire and water.”
House Foreign Affairs Committee member Gregory Meeks, a New York Democrat, also emphasized the importance of US support for Taiwan’s defense. Meeks was among a group of top House Democrats who had urged Trump ahead of the summit to approve the delayed package before meeting with Xi, warning that a delay in arms sales to Taiwan could weaken China’s aggression in the Taiwan Strait.
“I think it’s important for us to make sure that Taiwan has what it needs to defend itself,” Meeks told CBS News on Friday.
Meeks also said that Xi is “more powerful than the president” but not “more powerful than the United States Congress and the American people.” He said Congress has already worked on the package, and “the president is the one who is involved.”
Speaker Mike Johnson reiterated his support for Taiwan on Friday, although he said he had not received Trump’s full reading of the talks with Xi.
“We’ve been concerned, and we’ve made America’s interests clear,” Johnson said. “Our position in Taiwan, they need to remain independent and secure there.”
Pennsylvania Republican lawmaker Brian Fitzpatrick compared Taiwan to Ukraine, calling both “strongholds of democracy” “at the forefront.”
“We have to support Taiwan,” Fitzpatrick said. “We should be strengthening it.”
Taiwan has emerged as one of the hot-button issues ahead of Trump’s trip to Beijing, as lawmakers worry the administration could delay or reconsider future arms sales as part of broader talks with China on trade with Iran.
The US announced a record of $11 billion arms sales to Taiwan late last year, angered Beijing and prompted Chinese military exercises near the island. A massive $14 billion package is still awaiting Mr. Trump’s signature. Trump four months after Congress approved it.
