Trump pauses $400 million weapons aid to Taiwan as trade talks with China advance

Following the call, Trump said they had made “productive” progress on trade, fentanyl and TikTok. He also confirmed that they would meet in Korea in October, with a visit to China planned next year.

‘To avoid war we must prepare’

Taiwan’s president, Lai Ching-te, responded on Saturday by stressing the need for readiness.
“To avoid war and defend peace we must build defence capabilities and societal resilience through continued preparedness,” he said.

The Chinese Communist party considers Taiwan its own territory and has not ruled out the use of force to annex the island. Most people in Taiwan reject the idea of Chinese rule, and the dispute has fuelled an arms buildup on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

Trump’s shift on Taiwan

During Trump’s first term, US weapons sales to Taiwan rose above $10bn, the highest since the 1990s. In 2022, Congress approved up to $1bn in US weapons stock each year for Taiwan and Ukraine.

But since returning to office, Trump has questioned the value of US support for Taiwan, suggested the island should pay for American protection, and shown less enthusiasm for the existing security aid system. Taiwan has responded by increasing its defence spending, with plans to reach 5% of GDP by 2030.

News of the pause surprised officials and defence companies in Taipei. At a major defence expo this week, one international firm’s staff reportedly searched online for answers when asked about the development. Taiwan’s government did not confirm or deny the report, saying only that the US “has long supported Taiwan in strengthening its defence capabilities.”

‘Trump is putting Taiwan on the back burner’

William Yang, a senior analyst on north-east Asia for the Crisis Group, told The Guardian: “I think what Trump thinks of as a temporary tactical concession on the issue of Taiwan is in fact creating an opportunity for China to prolong this pause into something that could potentially become a new reality.”

Craig Singleton, a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, told Reuters that the call’s outcomes were largely in China’s favour. “Beijing is betting that high-PR, low-mean deliverables, like symbolic fentanyl actions, are going to be traded for relief on tariffs and technology controls and Taiwan,” he said.

Amanda Hsiao, director in the Eurasia Group’s China practice, said Beijing would push for more assurances on Taiwan, but added: “It’s quite likely that arms sales, Lai transit through the US, and other acts of support to Taiwan will resume after the Trump visit to China.”

(With inputs from agencies)