President Trump is facing domestic pressure to move forward with a sale of arms to Taiwan as he begins his diplomatic summit in China this week. On Tuesday, House Democrats sent a letter to the president urging the continuation of a deal previously approved by Congress.
According to the letter, Democrats argued that delaying the $14 billion arms deal to Taiwan could “undercut the maintenance of effective cross-Strait deterrence” and open the door to undue Chinese influence over U.S. foreign policy. Congress approved the arms sale in January, but the deal will require action by President Trump before it can move forward. Analysts have predicted the sale could be delayed following Trump’s meeting with President Xi.
President Trump confirmed to reporters during a news conference on Monday that he and President Xi would likely discuss the issue during his visit to China. “I’m going to have that discussion with President Xi.” President Trump said. “President Xi would like us not to. I’ll have that discussion…That’s one of the many things I’ll be talking about.”
Although Trump did not specifically address the timing of the arms deal, he expressed his respect for President Xi and his expectation that Taiwan would be a key issue in the meeting.
“He’s a great gentleman. I find him to be an amazing man,” President Trump said. “He’ll bring up Taiwan, I think, more than I will.”
Trump did not state whether the U.S. would move forward with arms sales to Taiwan, but stated he believed his good relationship with the Chinese president would lead to productive discussions. “A lot of good things can happen,” President Trump said.