BEIJING, May 15 (AP) U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that he has not yet decided whether to proceed with a major arms package for Taiwan following concerns raised by Chinese President Xi Jinping during high-level talks aimed at stabilizing increasingly strained U.S.-China relations.
Speaking aboard Air Force One while returning to Washington after the summit in Beijing, Trump said he would carefully consider the matter before making a final decision.
“I will make a determination,” Trump told reporters. “I’ll be making decisions. But, you know, I think the last thing we need right now is a war that’s 9,500 miles away.”
The remarks came after a closely watched meeting between Trump and Xi, where both leaders acknowledged progress in easing tensions between the world’s two largest economies despite ongoing disagreements over Taiwan and Iran.
At the center of the dispute is Washington’s continued military support for Taiwan. Trump’s administration approved an $11 billion weapons package for Taipei in December, the largest of its kind to date. In January, U.S. lawmakers also authorized an additional $14 billion arms sale, though the package still requires Trump’s formal approval before it can proceed to Congress.
China strongly opposes any U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, which Beijing considers a breakaway province that must eventually be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary. Chinese officials have repeatedly warned that American military support for Taiwan threatens regional stability and undermines bilateral relations.
During the summit, Xi reportedly emphasized that Taiwan remains the most sensitive issue in U.S.-China ties and urged Washington to avoid actions Beijing views as interference in its internal affairs.
Despite the tensions, both leaders described the summit as constructive and signaled a willingness to continue dialogue on trade, security, and global conflicts. However, analysts say Trump’s upcoming decision on the Taiwan arms package could become a major test of whether the recent diplomatic thaw between Washington and Beijing can hold.
