May 16, 2026
Ben Blanchard, Michael Martina and David Brunnstrom, Reuters
President Donald Trump said on Friday he hasn't decided whether to proceed with a major weapons sale to Taiwan, adding to uncertainty about US support for the democratically governed island following his trip to China this week.
In comments to journalists after his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump also seemed to imply that he would speak with Taiwan's president about the proposed sale, an interaction that could shake US-China relations.
A direct conversation between a sitting US president and Taiwan's leader would be unprecedented in the period since Washington shifted diplomatic recognition to Beijing from Taipei in 1979. It would likely anger China, which sees the democratically governed island as its own territory.
