Trump Says "Detailed Talks With China on Taiwan Arms Sales"... Is U.S. Policy on Taiwan Shifting?

As President Donald Trump revealed that he had in-depth discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping regarding the issue of U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, controversy is growing over whether this signals a possible shift in the U.S. policy toward Taiwan that has been maintained for 44 years.

On May 15 (local time), President Trump spoke with reporters on board his private plane returning home after a three-day visit to China. When asked, "In 1982, President Ronald Reagan promised that the U.S. would not consult with China regarding arms sales to Taiwan, but it seems you did so with President Xi," he replied, "The 1980s are quite a long time ago."

He added, "He (Xi Jinping) clearly talked about it (arms sales)."

Trump talks with reporters on board the plane on his way home after visiting China. Photo by Reuters/Yonhap News

President Trump continued, "So what am I supposed to do? Should I say, 'I don't want to talk about it. There is an agreement signed in 1982'? No. We discussed arms sales to Taiwan. In fact, all discussions regarding arms sales were conducted in great detail."

He then stated, "I will make a decision," adding, "But as you know, the last thing we want right now is a war 9,500 miles (about 15,000 kilometers) away from here."

In 1982, during the Reagan administration, the United States announced the 'Six Assurances' to Taiwan, one of which is 'the U.S. will not conduct prior consultations with China regarding arms sales to Taiwan.' This outlined the U.S. policy of not allowing China any say in its arms sales to Taiwan.

Ahead of this U.S.-China summit, there were predictions that President Xi would demand that President Trump at least postpone arms sales to Taiwan, and there was much attention on how President Trump would respond.

Previously, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated in an interview with NBC immediately after the summit that "the U.S. policy on Taiwan has not changed. It has been fairly consistent across several U.S. administrations and remains so now." However, with President Trump's remarks on this day, controversy is expected to arise within the U.S. and concerns may grow among its allies.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.