Record Taiwan Arms Deal In 'Limbo' As White House 'Vacillates' Amid Xi Pressure: Report
During their February 4 phone call, President Xi Jinping used the opportunity to warn President Donald Trump on China's Taiwan red lines. Xi had described the US approach to Taiwan "the most important issue in China-U.S. relations," declaring that China "will never allow Taiwan to be separated from China."
Trump has repeatedly stressed the need to keep lines of communication open with Beijing, even as he insists on safeguarding American interests and regional security, and as Washington continues arms and political support to Taipei and its full independence aspirations. But Trump is also looking ahead to his much anticipated China visit in April, as we've highlighted before.
Could the April visit to Beijing be in jeopardy, and is the direct pressure from Xi working?
A fresh Wednesday report in The Wall Street Journal suggests the answer is yes - and the report goes so far as to describe that a key record-breaking $11.1 billion arms sale package to Taiwan, first announced in December of last year, is currently in limbo.
"A major U.S. arms-sales package for Taiwan is in limbo following pressure from Chinese leader Xi Jinping and concerns among some in the Trump administration that greenlighting the weapons deal would derail President Trump’s coming visit to Beijing, according to U.S. officials," WSJ writes.
The report lays out:
Trump’s advisers are vacillating on the decision, according to a U.S. official familiar with the arms package, who insisted that, while Xi was adamant, Trump wouldn’t be pushed around by China. Trump wants to preserve a trade truce with Xi, a second U.S. official said, so the timing of an arms-sale decision is being carefully considered behind the scenes, the person said.
In response to a request for comment, a U.S. official said the arms sales are working their way through the administration’s internal process.
The U.S. Congress hasn’t officially been notified of new arms sales, but a congressional aide said it had been expected to include Patriot antimissile interceptors and other weapons.
WSJ concludes that Trump is fundamentally seeking to avoid antagonizing China, in order to no blow up the anticipated visit.
Another key issue on the line, affirmed in the earlier February Xi-Trump call is seen in the following:
China is considering buying more U.S.-farmed soybeans, President Donald Trump said after what he called "very positive" talks with President Xi Jinping on Wednesday, even as Beijing warned Washington about arms sales to Taiwan.
In a goodwill gesture two months before Trump's expected visit to Beijing, Trump said Xi would consider hiking soybean purchases from the United States to 20 million metric tons in the current season, up from 12 million tons previously. Soybean futures rallied.
Trump was asked by reporters about the Taiwan weapons issue Monday, to which the president responded: "I’m talking to him about it. We had a good conversation, and we’ll make a determination pretty soon.
"We have a very good relationship with President Xi," Trump underscored, clearly signaling he wants things to go as smoothly as possible, and keep relations cordial.