"Trump's pause on weapons provisions, if confirmed, included orders for lethal munitions and autonomous drones, but could still be reversed, the Washington Post reported on Friday. It came amid US efforts to negotiate a trade deal with China after a long and punishing trade war, and hours before Trump and China's leader Xi Jinping spoke on the phone on Friday. Trump said they had made productive progress on issues including trade, fentanyl and TikTok."
"The ruling Chinese Communist party (CCP) plans to annex Taiwan as Chinese territory, by military force if necessary. Taiwan's government and people overwhelmingly reject the prospect of CCP rule, and the standoff has prompted an arms buildup on both sides of the Taiwan strait, with much of Taiwan's stocks coming from the US, Taiwan's most significant backer in its resistance. To avoid war and defend peace we must build defence capabilities and societal resilience through continued preparedness, said Taiwan's president, Lai Ching-te, on Saturday."
"During Trump's first term, weapons sales to Taiwan soared past $10bn for the first time since the 1990s. Since 2022, US presidents have had congressional approval to send up to $1bn in US weapons stocks to Taiwan and Ukraine annually. But in Trump's second term there has been a significant cooling on Taiwan. He has questioned the worth of US support, mused that Taiwan should pay for US protection, and spurned the security aid mechanism in favour of actual sales. Taiwan has boosted its defence spend accordingly, with plans to reach 5% of GDP by 2030."
A reported pause on $400m in weapons aid to Taiwan may include lethal munitions and autonomous drones, though the pause could still be reversed. The timing coincided with US efforts to negotiate a trade deal with China and a phone call between Trump and Xi Jinping, whose readouts did not mention Taiwan. The CCP asserts plans to annex Taiwan, prompting an arms buildup and heavy reliance on US-sourced stocks. Taiwan's president urged strengthened defence capabilities and societal resilience. Trump previously oversaw large weapons sales, but his second term shows a cooling of US support while Taiwan increases defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2030.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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