Trump targets Xi over Taiwan arms as China faces new showdown
Donald Trump and Xi Jinping (Photo: Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump will personally discuss the sale of American weapons to Taiwan with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The meeting will take place during an official visit to Beijing on May 13, reports Al Jazeera.
Although the US leader will arrive in the country on Wednesday, the talks themselves are scheduled for Thursday and Friday. This is Trump's first visit to China in nine years.
The Taiwan issue will be one of the central topics. The American leader confirmed this to reporters at the White House.
“I’m going to have that discussion with President Xi," Trump said. "President Xi would like us not to, and I’ll have that discussion. That’s one of the many things I’ll be talking about."
US-China confrontation over Taiwan
Beijing considers the island its territory, and the US does not officially recognize Taiwan's sovereignty either. However, the US supports its defense — Washington is the key arms supplier to Taipei.
In December, Trump announced a large-scale aid package worth over $11 billion. This is the largest deal in the history of the relationship. In turn, also in December 2025, Beijing simulated a blockade of Taiwanese ports during military exercises.
How Trump assesses the risk of war over Taiwan
Journalists asked the American president about a possible further escalation. The US leader responded optimistically:
"I don’t think it’ll happen," Trump said. "I think we’ll be fine. I have a very good relationship with President Xi. He knows I don’t want that to happen."
What else is known about Taiwan's arms purchases from the US
Last Friday, Taiwan's parliament significantly cut funding for American weapons purchases. The opposition currently holds considerable influence in the island's legislature, so only two-thirds of what the Taiwanese government had counted on was allocated for purchases.
However, the Taiwanese government managed to sign six arms purchase agreements with the US totaling over $6.6 billion. These include the supply of HIMARS systems, M109A7 Paladin howitzers, replenishment of the army's missile arsenal, and more.
And according to a New York Times report, Taiwan is increasingly thinking about its own security amid the threat from China, which is why it seeks to adopt Ukraine's military experience.
