Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while returning to Washington, Trump said he wanted to avoid escalating tensions over Taiwan.
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he has not yet decided whether to approve a planned $14 billion weapons package for Taiwan after discussing the issue extensively with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while returning to Washington, Trump said he wanted to avoid escalating tensions over Taiwan.
“The last thing we need right now is a war that’s 9,500 miles away,” Trump said while referring to the proposed arms package, which reportedly includes missiles and air defence interceptors and has been pending for months.
The issue of Taiwan was a major focus during Trump’s visit to China. The trip began with Xi warning about possible “conflicts” linked to Taiwan, while Trump repeatedly indicated that he did not want to provoke a confrontation.
Trump also acknowledged the US commitment under the 1982 “six assurances” policy not to consult China regarding arms sales to Taiwan, but suggested he did not consider the agreement binding in the current situation.
“What am I going to do, say I don’t want to talk to you about it because I have an agreement wrote in 1982? No, we discussed arms sales.”
“I’ll be making decisions,” Trump said, adding that his main priority remained preventing a war.
His remarks reportedly raised concerns in Taipei as well as among US allies including Japan and South Korea.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who has maintained a strong position on Taiwan, reportedly received a “detailed” briefing from Trump over a phone call from Air Force One regarding the talks with Xi.
Trump also said he may have to speak with “the person who… is running Taiwan” about the arms package, though such a move would likely anger Beijing if it involved Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te.
The weapons package has also faced political sensitivity within Taiwan. Parliament reportedly took months to approve funding worth $25 billion linked to the pending $14 billion package and an additional $11 billion tranche cleared by Trump last year.
