Trump dodges Taiwan arms question after Beijing summit
Reporter: Would the US defend Taiwan if it came to it?
— Clash Report (@clashreport) May 15, 2026
Trump: I don't want to say that. I'm not going to say that.
That question was asked to me today by President Xi. I said, “I don't talk about those.”
Reporter: He asked you if you would send troops?
Trump: He asked me if… pic.twitter.com/xYQND5jqKP
WASHINGTON, DC: The two-day visit of President Donald Trump to China, intended to improve the strained relationship between the US and China, and become “friends” instead of “rivals,” appears to have given China a diplomatic win as Trump refused to commit to arms sales to Taiwan.
During a state dinner on Wednesday, May 13, Trump praised what he called the “special relationship” between the US and China. Trump left Beijing on Friday after holding several meetings with Xi Jinping.
Trump to decide on arms sales to Taiwan in 'short period of time'
Aboard Air Force One, after several rounds of talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, President Trump said, “I’ll make a determination over the next early short period of time,” on arms sales to Taiwan.
Trump told reporters that he and his counterpart, Xi Jinping, discussed Taiwan “in great detail” during their meetings. However, the president refused to answer directly when asked about whether the US would defend Taiwan in the event of a conflict with China.
While it is not clear whether the US would sell arms to Taiwan, Trump’s answer that he "will make determination" raises eyebrows on the US’s long-standing take on Taiwan and indicates a diplomatic win for China.
The president further aligned with Xi’s messaging on Taiwan, saying Xi stressed during their talks that China views Taiwan as historically tied to the mainland and “doesn’t want to see a movement for independence.”
Trump:
— Clash Report (@clashreport) May 15, 2026
On Taiwan, Xi doesn't want to see a movement for independence.
He says, “Look, you know, we've had it for thousands of years and then at a certain period of time it left that we were going to get it back. They had the Korean War. A lot of things happened and all this.”… pic.twitter.com/H5Rc0aA2pI
While under the 'One China' policy, the US acknowledges Taiwan is part of China, it has never officially recognized the Communist Party’s claim to the self-governing island.
US maintains a robust relationship with Taiwan
Washington maintains strong unofficial ties with Taiwan and has approved billions of dollars worth of advanced weapons sales to the island with support from both Democrats and Republicans.
However, the US has long avoided clearly saying whether it would step in militarily if China were to attack Taiwan.
Under the Taiwan Relations Act, a law passed decades ago, the US is required to help Taiwan defend itself. Still, some American and Taiwanese officials have worried that Donald Trump could use Taiwan as leverage in negotiations with China.
President Donald Trump was on a two-day state visit to China to participate in a summit in Beijing, which marks the first such visit by any US president since 2017, when Trump traveled to China during his first term as president.
