Trump to Discuss "Taiwan Arms Sales" with Xi Jinping... Tensions Rise in Japan and Taiwan

Controversy Over Breach of the "Six Assurances" Principle

Possibility of a Major Deal Involving Agricultural Products and Semiconductors

Apple, Qualcomm, Boeing CEOs Included in China Delegation

With just two days remaining before the U.S.-China summit scheduled for the 14th and 15th, U.S. President Donald Trump has stated that he intends to discuss supplying weapons to Taiwan with Chinese President Xi Jinping, heightening tensions in Japan and Taiwan.

On the 11th (local time), President Trump told reporters at the White House, "President Xi seems to want us not to sell weapons to Taiwan," and added, "I intend to discuss that issue."

He appeared to be mindful of the military tensions surrounding Taiwan, saying, "Such a thing will not happen," and explained, "I have a very good relationship with President Xi, and he knows that I do not want such a situation." He further added, "Taiwan is very far from the United States, but it receives a lot of support from Japan and other countries in the region."

He also noted that the Taiwan issue is more likely to be raised first by President Xi's side. Last year, China expressed dissatisfaction when the U.S. decided to sell arms worth 11.1 billion dollars (about 16.47 trillion won) to Taiwan.

The 'Six Assurances'—the foundation of U.S. policy toward Taiwan—include a commitment not to consult with China in advance regarding arms sales to Taiwan. Therefore, if advance consultations are held with President Xi at this summit, the Nikkei newspaper pointed out that it could become a source of controversy. However, in the U.S. Congress, there has been ongoing debate over whether the Six Assurances are simply explanatory or constitute binding principles for future policy.

In Japan, close attention is being paid to President Trump's statements. Senior Fellow Goryu at the Tokyo Foundation noted, "The export of arms to Taiwan by the U.S. has already been delayed, but the possibility of a complete cancellation is extremely low. The issue is not whether to sell weapons to Taiwan, but when to do so." He added, "President Trump may delay the timing of weapons supply to Taiwan if he wants President Xi to increase purchases of U.S. soybeans."

Zack Cooper, a research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), also told the Nikkei newspaper, "There is now a significant possibility that President Trump will change his previous expression of 'do not support' Taiwan's independence to 'oppose' it." He warned, "While this change in wording may not have a major practical policy impact, it will be clearly interpreted at home and abroad as a signal that President Trump is distancing himself from Taiwan." The Brookings Institution, another U.S. think tank, predicted that President Trump will try to extract commitments for purchases of U.S. products such as agricultural goods, energy, Boeing aircraft, and semiconductors.

The White House announced that, as in Trump's first term, a large number of business leaders are included in the delegation visiting China. The New York Times (NYT) reported that 16 CEOs are included, such as those from Tesla, Apple, Boeing, Micron Technology, Qualcomm, and Meta. However, it was reported that Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, was excluded from the invitation list. Nvidia is currently awaiting government approval from both the U.S. and China to export its AI chip model, the 'H200,' to China.