Donald Trump\u2019s reported pause on $400m (\u00a3297m) in weapons aid to Taiwan has fuelled fears he is using US support of the island to negotiate with China.<\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s pause on weapons provisions, if confirmed, included orders for lethal munitions and autonomous drones, but could still be reversed, the Washington Post reported<\/a> on Friday.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s leader Xi Jinping spoke on the phone on Friday<\/a>. Trump said they had made \u201cproductive\u201d progress on issues including trade, fentanyl and TikTok. They also agreed to meet in Korea in October, and for Trump to visit next year.<\/p>\n But analysts noted the respective readouts of the call did not mention Taiwan<\/a>, Beijing\u2019s most sensitive issue in its foreign relations, particularly with the US. The ruling Chinese Communist party (CCP) plans to annex Taiwan as Chinese territory, by military force if necessary.<\/p>\n Taiwan\u2019s 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\u2019s stocks coming from the US, Taiwan\u2019s most significant backer in its resistance.<\/p>\n \u201cTo avoid war and defend peace we must build defence capabilities and societal resilience through continued preparedness,\u201d said Taiwan\u2019s president, Lai Ching-te<\/a>, on Saturday.<\/p>\n During Trump\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n But in Trump\u2019s 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 \u201cprotection\u201d, 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.<\/p>\n News of the pause was unexpected, and rippled through an annual defence expo in Taipei on Thursday, as arms dealers displayed the latest weaponry and tech. Staff manning one well-known multinational firm\u2019s stand began frantically Googling when asked for their thoughts, according to one attender.<\/p>\n Taiwan\u2019s government would not confirm or deny the report, saying the US \u201chas long supported Taiwan in strengthening its defence capabilities\u201d.<\/p>\n William Yang, the senior analyst on north-east Asia for the Crisis Group, said the pause was probably Trump putting Taiwan on the \u201cback burner\u201d so he could concentrate on getting the best deal out of Beijing, rather than a sign of abandonment. But he warned Beijing could \u201cexploit this gap\u201d.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n Our US morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what\u2019s happening and why it matters<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com<\/a> to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n