Shafaq News – Washington

US President Donald Trump has delayed approval of more than $400 million in military aid to Taiwan while pursuing trade negotiations and a potential summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Washington Post reported on Thursday.

The decision, which a White House official said is not final, would mark a sharp shift in longstanding US support for the island, which Beijing claims as its own.

Since returning to the office in January, Trump has argued that partners such as Taiwan and Ukraine should buy their own weapons rather than rely on direct American aid. Congress authorizes up to $1 billion annually for Taiwan under the Presidential Drawdown Authority, a program last used by the Biden administration in late 2024 to approve $571 million in security assistance.

US and Taiwanese defense officials met in Anchorage last month and discussed a large package of arms sales to be paid for by Taipei. The potential deal, worth billions of dollars, would include drones, missiles, and coastal surveillance systems.

Taiwan is already waiting on major US weapons orders, including F-16 fighter jets and Harpoon anti-ship missiles. President Lai Ching-te has pledged to raise defense spending from 3.3 percent of GDP next year to 5 percent by 2030.

Concerns in Taipei have grown over Washington’s commitment. During an August visit, Senator Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said, “It is our determination and our intention that Taiwan remain free and make its own decisions.”

At the same time, Trump officials have increased contacts with Beijing. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told China’s defense minister in a recent call that the United States “does not seek conflict with China,” as the two governments prepare for a possible leaders’ summit this fall.