Lawmakers press Trump for military support for Taiwan after Xi summit

Washington — Lawmakers in both parties say the U.S. should continue to provide arms to Taiwan after President Trump, at the end of his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, said he hasn't decided whether to move forward with a pending arms sale to the island.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One Friday after departing Beijing, Mr. Trump said he and Xi "talked a lot about Taiwan" during their summit and confirmed the Chinese leader had brought up the U.S. weapons sale. The president said he made "no commitment either way" on the issue and declined to publicly state whether the U.S. would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack.

The comments quickly drew attention on Capitol Hill, where Taiwan has long enjoyed strong bipartisan support and lawmakers have been pushing the administration to move ahead with 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 U.S. must "arm Taiwan so they can defend themselves for deterrence against Chairman Xi." McCaul said that during the summit, Xi was "very aggressive" regarding Taiwan and added that "most of what [Xi] talked about was Taiwan."

Asked about the fact that the president has not yet made a decision on the arms sale, McCaul replied that there "there should be" a decision.

During the summit, Xi told Mr. Trump that the Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-U.S. relations, according to a Chinese readout of their meeting. 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 Mr. Trump that "'Taiwan independence' and cross-Strait peace are as irreconcilable as fire and water."

After meeting with Xi, Mr. Trump told Fox News' Bret Baier he views the pending weapons sale as a "very good negotiating chip."

"I may do it, I may not do it," the president said, later adding: "Taiwan would be very smart to cool it a little bit. China would be very smart to cool it a little bit."

House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Gregory Meeks, a New York Democrat, also stressed the importance of U.S. support for Taiwan's defenses. Meeks was among a group of top House Democrats who had urged Mr. Trump ahead of the summit to approve the delayed package before meeting Xi, warning that delaying Taiwan 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 also argued 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 that's holding it up."

Speaker Mike Johnson also reiterated his support for Taiwan Friday, though 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, calling both "fortresses of democracy" that are "on the front lines."

"We have to support Taiwan," Fitzpatrick said. "We should be bolstering it."

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

The U.S. announced a record $11 billion arms sale to Taiwan late last year, angering Beijing and prompting Chinese military exercises near the island. The larger $14 billion package is still awaiting Mr. Trump's signature four months after Congress approved it.