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US Reaffirms Taiwan Policy Unchanged Ahead of Trump-Xi Meeting

Senior US officials confirmed no change in US policy on Taiwan ahead of President Trump's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The officials noted that arms sales to Taiwan under the Trump administration exceeded those of the previous four years. They expressed disappointment over Taiwan's recent defense budget, which left some proposed funding unallocated. Meanwhile, US lawmakers introduced a bipartisan resolution expressing concern over China's threats toward Taiwan.

Key Points: US: No Change in Taiwan Policy Ahead of Trump-Xi Meet

  • No policy change on Taiwan from Trump-Xi talks
  • US approved more Taiwan arms sales than previous administration
  • US disappointed with Taiwan's defense budget cuts
  • Bipartisan US resolution expresses concern over China's threats to Taiwan
3 min read

'No change of policy on Taiwan': Senior US officials ahead of Trump-Xi meet

Senior US officials confirm no policy shift on Taiwan ahead of Trump-Xi meeting, discuss arms sales and defense budget.

"There's been no change of US policy coming out of those. We don't expect to see any changes in US policy going forward. - Senior US officials"

Washington DC, May 11

Ahead of the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, senior US officials said that the two leaders have an ongoing conversation about Taiwan and that there has been no change in American policy.

The senior US officials made the remarks while interacting with the press ahead of President Trump's upcoming visit to China.

When asked if there was a potential shift in the stance of the United States towards Taiwan ahead of the meeting, the officials said, "There is an ongoing conversation between President Trump and General Secretary Xi Jinping about Taiwan. Certainly the last couple of times they've interacted, it has been a point of discussion. There's been no change of US policy coming out of those. We don't expect to see any changes in US policy going forward."

The officials also briefly touched upon arms sales to Taiwan and added how the current Trump administration, in its first year, approved significantly more in arms sales to Taiwan than the entire four years of the previous administration.

The officials also referred to the recently passed defence budget of the island nation, noting that it was "disappointing" to see stuff left on the cutting room floor.

"Given our position on Taiwan's defence budget, which they passed the supplemental last week, is that it was disappointing in that there was some stuff left on the cutting room floor that we believe still needs to be funded, and we would, we'd like to see the rest of the original proposed package funded," they said.

This comes shortly after Focus Taiwan had reported last week that Taiwan had passed a supplementary budget bill to fund the purchase of separate packages of United States military equipment, with the combined amount of spending capped at NT$780 billion (US$24.8 billion).

Meanwhile, US lawmakers across party lines introduced a resolution expressing concern over China's threats toward Taiwan, with a focus on maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait ahead of a planned summit later this month between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to a report by Taipei Times.

The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee stated that the resolution, spearheaded by Democratic Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Chris Coons, along with Republican Senator Pete Ricketts, reflected bipartisan concern over the growing threats China poses to US national security and economic prosperity during a crucial period in US-China relations.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

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Priya S
Interesting how the US criticizes China's "threats" while arming Taiwan to the teeth. As Indians, we understand the pain of border meddling. But honestly, Taiwan is China's internal matter—just like Kashmir is ours. Washington should focus on its own problems.
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Vikram M
The US defence budget point is revealing. They want Taiwan to spend more on weapons. Classic arms dealer mentality. India has seen similar pressures. We must avoid being pawns in US-China rivalry. Our national interest lies in stability, not escalation.
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James A
From a security perspective, the US should maintain its Taiwan policy while avoiding provocation. The arms sales volume under Trump is notable, but China's military build-up in the Taiwan Strait is the real concern. India and the US should coordinate on Indo-Pacific stability.
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Rahul R
Benign hypocrisy no? US says "no policy change" but boosts arms sales by billions. This is why India must diversify our defence partnerships. Don't put all eggs in the American basket. Russia, Israel, Europe—we need options to maintain our sovereignty.
K
Karthik V
The bipartisan resolution shows US lawmakers love using Taiwan to needle China. But this is a dangerous game. India learned from the 1962 war that border issues can escalate unpredictably. Both sides need dialogue, not more weapons floating around.
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