Xi to Push Trump to Halt Taiwan Arms Sales During Washington Summit

Xi Jinping is expected to press Donald Trump this week to halt U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, with Beijing preparing to invoke a 1982 joint communique.

Three people familiar with discussions ahead of Xi's visit to Washington said China is likely to focus on Washington’s commitments under the third of three joint communiques between the two countries.

Xi could raise the issue during a planned visit to the U.S. National Archives, according to people briefed on the matter who spoke to Reuters.

Beijing Turns to the 1982 Communique

The 1982 agreement said the U.S. intended to gradually reduce arms sales to Taiwan and did not seek a long-term policy of weapons sales to Taipei.

But Washington’s position was accompanied by a memorandum from then-president Ronald Reagan stating that reductions were “conditioned absolutely upon the continued commitment of China to the peaceful solution” of differences with Taiwan.

That distinction is likely to become a central point of friction during Xi’s meetings with Trump.

China regards Taiwan as its territory and has repeatedly demanded an end to U.S. weapons sales to the island.

Taiwan rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims.

The U.S., meanwhile, is required by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself despite the absence of formal diplomatic relations.

China Also Seeks Halt to Deliveries

Beijing’s demands extend beyond future approvals.

According to people familiar with the discussions, China has also asked Washington to stop deliveries of weapons already ordered by Taiwan.

Xi could argue that Taipei, rather than Beijing, is responsible for destabilizing cross-Strait relations.

One source said Xi could “emphasize to Trump that Taiwan is the provocateur and the sole source of instability in US-China relations, and that Taiwan is the one changing the status quo.”

China has increased military activity around Taiwan over the past five years, including exercises involving live missile launches. Chinese forces operate around the island almost daily.

China’s foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

The Communist Party’s official People’s Daily warned on Tuesday that mishandling Taiwan could push U.S.-China relations “toward a very dangerous situation.”

Arms Package Remains on Hold

The talks come as Trump weighs another major package of weapons sales to Taiwan.

His administration approved an $11 billion package in December, described as the largest on record.

A second package worth about $14 billion has remained on hold for months.

Following a May summit with Xi in Beijing, Trump said he was keeping the package in abeyance and called it a “very good negotiating chip.”

A White House official said Trump indicated he would decide on the new sales package in a fairly short period.

The official also said Trump approved more Taiwan arms sales during his first term than any previous president and approved more during the first year of his second term than during all four years of Joe Biden’s presidency.

U.S. Policy Leaves Room for Dispute

Washington follows a “one China policy” under which it takes no formal position on Taiwan’s sovereignty.

The U.S. acknowledges, but does not endorse, Beijing’s position that Taiwan is part of China.

The dispute over the 1982 communique is also complicated by the “Six Assurances” issued to Taiwan that same year.

Those assurances, declassified in 2020, state that Washington did not agree to set a deadline for ending arms sales to Taiwan or to consult Beijing in advance over such transactions.

Taiwan’s foreign ministry said it was closely monitoring high-level U.S.-China exchanges while maintaining “robust communication” with Washington.

Republican Pressure Ahead of Summit

Senior Republican figures have urged Trump not to alter U.S. policy toward Taiwan during the talks.

Senator Pete Ricketts, Republican chair of the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on East Asia, said Washington should continue signaling that Beijing would not be permitted to seize Taiwan by force.

“We need to continue just to again let them know that they're not going to be allowed to take Taiwan by force. That we are not changing our position on that. We're continuing to support Taiwan,” he said.

John Moolenaar, Republican chairman of the House Select Committee on China, told Trump in a letter on Friday that Chinese objections to U.S. arms sales and regional security cooperation should be “rejected out of hand.”

Matt Pottinger, deputy national security adviser during Trump’s first administration, said at a defense forum in Taipei that he did not expect substantive movement on Taiwan this week.

“I would bet that Xi Jinping is going to lecture at length President Trump on Taiwan as he has in the last meetings and as he has with other presidents,” Pottinger said.

Xi is scheduled to arrive in Washington on Wednesday. Formal talks with Trump are due on Thursday, followed by the National Archives visit on Friday.

China is also offering to help pressure Iran over the war in the Middle East as part of the wider discussions, according to people familiar with the talks.