Trump Sets Taiwan Arms and Jimmy Lai as Key Issues Before Xi Summit
CNBC reported Monday that President Donald Trump has placed Taiwan arms sales and the imprisonment of Hong Kong media founder Jimmy Lai on his agenda for a planned summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing this Thursday.
Taiwan Arms Sales Take Center Stage
Washington’s weapons transfers to Taiwan have long been among the sharpest irritants in US-China relations. When reporters asked Trump about ongoing American defense support for the island, he acknowledged Beijing’s objections. “President Xi would like us not to, and I’ll have that discussion,” Trump said. Beijing has consistently argued that such transfers breach the one-China principle and warned that using Taiwan to constrain China’s rise would backfire.
The Trump administration has reportedly paused delivery of arms under a record $11 billion weapons package that was approved last December. Taiwan’s parliament moved separately last Friday, clearing a $25 billion special defense budget for US-supplied missiles and other weapons. That figure fell well short of the $40 billion the Taiwanese government had originally sought.
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Background: A Flashpoint Years in the Making
China claims Taiwan as its own territory, a position Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party firmly rejects. Chinese officials have called Taiwan “the biggest point of risk” in the bilateral relationship, repeatedly urging Washington to scale back its commitments.
Analysts are watching Trump’s language closely. Bonnie Glaser, managing director of the Indo-Pacific program at the German Marshall Fund, warned that any ambiguous softening from Trump would be “the most destabilizing outcome” of the summit. She cautioned that a tacit concession of Chinese influence over Taiwan in exchange for gains elsewhere could encourage Beijing to take bolder steps against the island’s autonomy.
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Jimmy Lai Case Adds Human Rights Dimension
Beyond defense, Trump said he would again push for Lai’s release. A Hong Kong court sentenced the 78-year-old Apple Daily founder to 20 years in prison in February on charges of colluding with foreign forces. That sentence was the longest handed down under the national security law Beijing imposed on Hong Kong in 2020. Lai has been held for more than five years and is simultaneously serving time on separate fraud charges.
Trump raised Lai’s case with Xi at APEC talks last October. Beijing has rejected foreign pressure, stating that Lai should face full legal consequences and accusing outside governments of interfering in Hong Kong’s judicial process.
The Thursday summit carries a sweeping agenda that also includes Iran, rare earth export restrictions, and trade conditions stemming from the ongoing tariff standoff between the two economies.
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