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There was no “grand bargain” on Taiwan, but Taipei is still waiting for Trump to approve the latest arms package.
U.S. President Donald JTrump bids farewell to China’s President Xi Jinping at Zhongnanhai in Beijing, China, May 15, 2026.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping on May 13-15 came to an end, surprisingly, without any new deals announced. At the same time, fears that Taiwan might be thrown under the bus to reach those deals did not come to pass – at least so far as is known.
Trump said before he left for China that arms sales to Taiwan would be a topic of discussion. This led to alarm that the weapons sales might be up for negotiations, in violation of longstanding U.S. policy on Taiwan. The Six Assurances – U.S. government policy since 1982 – state that Washington will not consult with Beijing on arms sales to Taiwan, as well promising that the United States will continue to provide Taiwan with arms.
