Trump Declined Taiwan Military Aid While Negotiating China Trade Deal: Report

Trump and Xi Jinping are scheduled to speak on Friday (File)

According to a Washington Post report on Thursday, US President Donald Trump withheld approval for a $400 million military aid package to Taiwan in recent months while engaging in trade negotiations and discussing a potential summit with Beijing.

This decision would represent a significant shift from traditional US policy toward the democratic island, which constantly faces invasion threats from China.

A White House official informed the Post that the decision regarding the aid package has not been finalized yet.

Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to hold their second phone conversation on Friday since the 79-year-old Republican returned to office. These talks come as both nations work toward reaching agreements on tariffs and resolving issues concerning the video-sharing platform TikTok.

Although the United States ceased formal recognition of Taiwan in the late 1970s in favor of China, Washington has remained Taipei's most crucial supporter and largest provider of military assistance.

During former president Joe Biden's administration, Washington approved over $2 billion in military aid for Taiwan. However, the Post noted that Trump "does not support sending weapons without payment, a preference also on display with Ukraine."

The report mentioned that US and Taiwanese defense officials met in Anchorage, Alaska in August to discuss potential weapons sales "which could total in the billions of dollars," including drones, missiles, and coastal monitoring sensors.

Since Trump's return to the White House in January, concerns have grown in Taipei regarding the strength of Taiwan-US relations and Washington's commitment to defending the island should China launch an attack.

During a visit to Taiwan in late August, the chair of the US Senate armed services committee affirmed his determination that the United States and Taiwan remain "the best of friends."

"It is our determination and our intention that Taiwan remain free and make its own decisions," Republican Senator Roger Wicker stated after meeting with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te.

"Part of maintaining the freedoms that we have is enhanced cooperation militarily, enhanced cooperation with our defense industrial base, making the best use of those funds."