Trump Says He Made No Commitment on Taiwan Arms Sale After Summit With Xi

President Donald Trump left Beijing on Friday following a two-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, having made no determination on a delayed American arms sale to Taiwan that Xi raised during closed-door talks. Trump spoke with reporters for roughly a half-hour en route to Air Force One’s refueling stop in Alaska.

He told reporters on Air Force One that he “made no commitment” on the issue of Taiwan during the summit in Beijing this week.

“On Taiwan, he feels very strongly, I made no commitment either way,” Trump said. He confirmed that he and Xi discussed Taiwan a lot and said the two leaders had a “very good understanding” of the issue. Trump stated that Xi Jinping is firmly against Taiwanese independence.

He quoted Xi as saying Taiwan had been part of China for thousands of years, was temporarily separated, and that China was going to get it back, referencing the Korean War and other events. “[Xi] doesn’t want to see a war,” Trump stated. U.S.

Into “conflict” with China. He added that he would “make a determination” on the Taiwan arms sale soon but not before speaking to Taiwanese President William Lai. The United States has sold weapons to Taiwan for decades.

A bipartisan group of senators had pressured Trump to greenlight a new arms sale to Taiwan before leaving for Beijing. U.S. approved a transfer of arms to Taiwan last year, but the shipment has been delayed for months.

U.S. ” — President Donald Trump

““[Xi] doesn’t want to see a war. He doesn’t want to see a movement for independence.”