U.S. Arms Sales to Taiwan Face Delay After Trump-Xi Summit

The president described the package as a “very good negotiating chip” during talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping earlier this month. Acting U.S. Navy Secretary Hung Cao told Congress the delay stems from Pentagon efforts to ensure sufficient weapons remain available for the conflict with Iran. Taiwan’s Defense Ministry stated last week that it has received no official notice of any postponement.

The Taiwan Relations Act, passed by Congress in 1979, requires the United States to provide Taiwan with defensive arms. The law followed the Carter administration’s decision to shift diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing and end the mutual U.S.-Taiwan defense treaty.

A 1982 U.S.-China communique mentioned an eventual reduction in arms sales, but U.S. officials have maintained that Washington never agreed to a specific timetable or to consult Beijing in advance.

Taiwan has ordered tens of billions of dollars in U.S. weapons since 1979, yet many systems take years to arrive. An April 2026 report from the Taiwan Security Monitor project at George Mason University listed an almost $30 billion backlog of undelivered arms.

Of 23 major U.S. arms sales to Taiwan over the past decade, five have been fully delivered, three are partially delivered, and 15 remain in production, according to Taiwan’s Defense Ministry. An order for 108 Abrams tanks placed in 2019 took 81 months to complete, with the final units arriving last month.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said U.S. policy toward Taiwan remains unchanged and continues to follow the Taiwan Relations Act. The $14 billion package centers on air-defense systems such as Patriot missiles, which face production lead times of at least 24 months.

Any delay in signing could move Taiwan’s order behind other customers, including those replenishing stocks used in the Iran conflict, said Joe O’Connor of the Taiwan Security Monitor project.