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Donald Trump delayed approval of 400 million dollars in military aid for Taiwan as he negotiates a trade deal with Xi Jinping.
US President Donald Trump. (Reuters Image)
US President Donald Trump declined to approve a $400 million military aid package for Taiwan in recent months while negotiating trade and a potential summit with Beijing, the Washington Post reported. The move, if confirmed, would mark a sharp departure from longstanding US policy toward the self-ruled democratic island, which faces the constant threat of invasion from China. A White House official told the outlet that the decision was not yet final.
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Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are scheduled to hold telephone talks on Friday, their second conversation since the 79-year-old Republican returned to the White House in January. The call comes as Washington and Beijing seek compromise on tariffs and a deal over the Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok.
Shift From Biden-Era Policy
Under former US President Joe Biden, Washington approved more than $2 billion in military aid packages for Taiwan. By contrast, the Post reported, Donald Trump “does not support sending weapons without payment, a preference also on display with Ukraine.”
US and Taiwanese defense officials met in Anchorage, Alaska in August to discuss possible weapons sales worth billions of dollars, including drones, missiles and coastal monitoring sensors.
Since Donald Trump’s return to office, there have been mounting concerns in Taipei over the durability of the Taiwan-US relationship and Washington’s willingness to defend the island against Chinese aggression.
Visiting Taipei in late August, Republican Senator Roger Wicker, chair of the US Senate Armed Services Committee, sought to reassure Taiwan’s leadership. After meeting Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, he said, “It is our determination and our intention that Taiwan remain free and make its own decisions. Part of maintaining the freedoms that we have is enhanced cooperation militarily, enhanced cooperation with our defense industrial base, making the best use of those funds.”
The United States formally switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in the late 1970s but has remained Taiwan’s most important international supporter and principal arms supplier.
Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)
September 19, 2025, 17:05 IST
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