Trump-Xi Summit Focuses on Taiwan and US-China Relations

AP, May 12, 2026, Washington: LPresident Donald Trump, in his return to the White House, has demonstrated greater ambivalence toward Taiwan, an approach that's raising questions ahead of this week's summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping about whether the US leader could be open to dialling back support for the island democracy that Beijing views as its breakaway province.

Trump in December authorised a USD 11 billion arms package for Taiwan — the largest weapons sale ever to the island — but has not yet moved forward with delivery and even acknowledged that he's discussed the sale with Xi.

He groused that Taiwan “stole” America's semiconductor business and called on Taiwan to pay the US for protection.

All the while, Trump has, with the threat of hefty tariffs, prodded Taipei to agree to massive investments in US semiconductor manufacturing and to purchase billions of dollars' worth of US liquefied natural gas and crude oil.

The president, during an Oval Office exchange with reporters on Monday, said that he expected Xi would ask him to hold back on arming Taiwan.

“I'm going to have that discussion with President Xi,” Trump said about China's strong opposition to the US providing weapons to Taiwan. “President Xi would like us not to, and I'll have that discussion.”

Trump's rhetoric is fuelling speculation in Beijing, Taipei and Washington about America's commitment to help the island defend itself and whether the Republican president could be persuaded to cede ground on the long-standing US posture toward the island.

Taiwan's backers are concerned that Taipei will be “on the menu” when Trump and Xi sit down for talks, said retired US Navy Rear Adm Mark Montgomery.

“I do worry that we have a transactional president and a transactional opportunity could arise, and then we would have a challenge,” said Montgomery, now with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington think tank that supports robust US backing of Taiwan.

The Chinese have signalled they intend to make Taiwan a central part of the talks.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi raised Taiwan during a call with Secretary of State Marco Rubio to prepare for the trip, and urged the United States to “make the right choices” about its policies toward the island in order to safeguard “stability” between the two nations, according to a statement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

But Rubio said US policy has not changed.

“We don't want to see any forced or compelled change in the situation,” he told reporters in Rome on Friday, saying it “would be destabilising to the world.”

He noted that Taiwan would not be “a feature of our trip, but it'll certainly be an item that's discussed.”

White House officials have underscored that Trump, who also approved USD 330 million in aircraft parts for Taiwan's military in November, has already approved more in military sales for Taiwan in the first year of his second term than the roughly USD 8.4 billion that Democratic President Joe Biden approved over his four years in office.

Taiwan has been under pressure from the Trump administration to increase its defence spending, and on Friday its lawmakers broke months of gridlock to approve USD 25 billion in arms purchases.

It was significantly less than the USD 40 billion proposal put forward last year by Taiwan President Lai Ching-te.

A senior Trump administration official, who spoke to reporters on the condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House, said it was disappointing that the parliament did not fully fund Lai's proposal.

Taiwanese government officials have expressed concern about China's rhetoric ahead of the summit, though they've also taken some comfort from Rubio's measured comments.

“(China) may attempt some manoeuvring during the talks, but the US has repeatedly reiterated, through both public and private channels, that its policy toward Taiwan remains unchanged,” National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Ming-yen told reporters.