Bipartisan Lawmakers Urge Continuation of US Arms to Taiwan After Trump-Xi Summit

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers from both parties said the United States should keep supplying arms to Taiwan after President Trump stated he has not decided on a pending arms sale to the island following his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Trump spoke to reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday after leaving Beijing. He said he and Xi talked a lot about Taiwan during the summit. Trump confirmed that Xi raised the US weapons sale. The president said he made no commitment either way on the issue. He declined to say publicly whether the United States would defend Taiwan if China attacked.

The remarks drew quick reactions on Capitol Hill. Taiwan has long had strong bipartisan support there. Lawmakers have pressed the administration to advance a delayed $14 billion arms sale that Congress approved in January.

Rep. Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican and former House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman, said Friday that the United States must arm Taiwan so it can defend itself for deterrence against Chairman Xi. McCaul said Xi was very aggressive on Taiwan during the summit. He added that most of what Xi talked about was Taiwan. Asked about the president's undecided stance on the sale, McCaul replied that there should be a decision.

During the summit, Xi told Trump that the Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-US relations, according to a Chinese readout. A Chinese ministry spokesperson said Xi made it clear that if Taiwan is handled properly, the bilateral relationship will enjoy overall stability. If not, the two countries will have clashes and even conflicts, putting the entire relationship in great jeopardy.

The ministry said Xi also told Trump that Taiwan independence and cross-Strait peace are as irreconcilable as fire and water.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Gregory Meeks, a New York Democrat, stressed the importance of US support for Taiwan's defenses. Meeks was part of a group of top House Democrats who urged Trump before the summit to approve the delayed package. They warned that delaying the arms sales could weaken deterrence of Chinese aggression in the Taiwan Strait.

I think it is important for us to make sure that Taiwan does have what it needs to defend itself, Meeks told CBS News on Friday.

Meeks argued that Xi has leverage over the president but not over the United States Congress and the American people. He said Congress has already acted on the package, and the president is the one holding it up.

Speaker Mike Johnson also reiterated support for Taiwan on Friday. He said he has not yet received a full readout from Trump on the talks with Xi. We've always been concerned, and we've made America's interests very clear, Johnson said. Our position on Taiwan, they need to stay independent and secure there.

Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick compared Taiwan to Ukraine. He called both fortresses of democracy on the front lines. We have to support Taiwan, Fitzpatrick said. We should be bolstering it.

Taiwan was one of the most closely watched issues before Trump's trip to Beijing. Lawmakers worried the administration could delay or reconsider future arms sales as part of broader negotiations with China on trade and Iran.