Continued US arms sales to Taiwan are in Washington’s national interest because they help the island defend itself and allow its semiconductor industry to continue supplying the world, Taiwan’s deputy foreign minister said on Saturday.
Francois Wu made the remarks after US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping concluded a three-day summit in Washington without major public breakthroughs on several contentious issues, including Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory.
Speaking to reporters in Taipei, Wu questioned whether making concessions over Taiwan would actually benefit the United States.
“Maintaining military sales, giving Taiwan sufficient capability to defend itself so it does not have to live under Chinese rule and allowing Taiwan’s semiconductor industry to continue contributing to the world, these are important US interests,” Wu said.
Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, while the island remains a major global producer of advanced semiconductors that are widely used in artificial intelligence and other technologies.
Trump Yet To Decide On Pending Arms Package
The issue of US weapons sales to Taiwan remained unresolved following the Trump-Xi summit.
Trump said after meeting Xi in Beijing in May that he was holding a new package of arms sales to Taiwan in abeyance. He has yet to publicly announce what decision he will make on the package following this latest meeting.
Taiwan has maintained close communication with Washington throughout the summit, Wu said.
The Trump administration approved an US$11 billion arms package for Taiwan in December, described as the largest such package for the island, while another package worth about US$14 billion has also been under consideration.
Wu said Taipei was closely watching the possibility that a decision could be delayed further, particularly as Trump and Xi are expected to meet twice more this year at the APEC and G20 summits.
“Of course, if we can get guarantees, that would be best,” he said.
“I think what we can do right now is probably the maximum, which is to prepare as much as possible, communicate as much as possible, and make requests as much as possible.”
US Says Taiwan Policy Has Not Changed
US Ambassador to China David Perdue told CNBC on Friday that there had been no change in Washington’s Taiwan policy under Trump, including its obligations under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, which provides the framework for US arms sales to Taiwan.
“We want peace across the strait. We don’t want coercion. We don’t support independence,” Perdue said.
He added that Trump had listened to Beijing’s position and that Xi had received the message from Washington.
China, meanwhile, continues to oppose US arms sales to Taiwan.
The People’s Daily, China’s Communist Party newspaper, reiterated in a commentary on Saturday that Taiwan was “the core of China’s core interests and the first unbreakable red line in China-US relations.”
The dispute over Taiwan remains one of the most sensitive issues in US-China relations, with Beijing repeatedly calling for Washington to halt arms sales while the United States maintains an established policy of supporting Taiwan’s self-defence.
