As Xi Jinping Heads to the U.S., Could Washington Delay Its Decision on Arms Sales to Taiwan?

[Financial News] Foreign media reports say that, ahead of a U.S.-China summit, the United States is considering postponing until the end of the year its decision and announcement on a major arms sale to Taiwan.
Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on the 19th, citing multiple sources, that the Donald Trump administration is considering delaying its decision on new arms sales to Taiwan until after the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen, China, in November and the Group of Twenty (G20) summit in Florida, United States, in December.
One source said President Donald Trump is considering ways to delay approval of the arms sales to Taiwan. The final decision is expected to reflect a compromise among President Trump, China hawks in the United States and Taiwan.
President Trump reportedly once considered postponing the decision on arms sales to Taiwan until the end of 2028 or January 2029, but faced strong opposition from China hawks.
For now, the leading option under consideration is to postpone the decision and official announcement on a major arms sale until after the APEC and G20 summits.
Another source said China had asked the United States not to announce a new arms sales plan for Taiwan ahead of Xi Jinping's visit to the United States.
SCMP explained that the request was similar to a message China conveyed to the United States ahead of President Trump's visit to China last May.
The Donald Trump administration was reportedly holding off at the time on approving approximately $14 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, including MIM-104 Patriot (PAC-3) interceptor missiles.
China has defined the Taiwan issue as an insurmountable "red line" in U.S.-China relations and has opposed arms sales.
However, China is also reportedly aware that it would be difficult for the United States to indefinitely postpone decisions on new arms sales to Taiwan.
As a result, there is speculation that the U.S. government could approve and announce a relatively small arms sale between the U.S.-China summit and the APEC summit.
However, sources said the possibility of approval for a major arms sale worth tens of billions of dollars was low.
Meanwhile, Xi Jinping is scheduled to hold a summit with President Trump in Washington, D.C., on the 24th, local time.

[email protected] Jang Min-kwon Reporter