The U.S. Secretary of State denied today (3) that policy toward Taiwan has changed following the U.S. President’s visit to China and emphasized that the administration has authorized a “massive sale” of arms to the island.
“The most important thing to understand is that we want to preserve the ‘status quo’ as it currently exists. That is our policy; that is what we have said, and that is what we continue to say. It is a very delicate relationship that requires a careful balance, but our policy toward Taiwan is not changing. It did not change during that trip,” Rubio told the U.S. Senate.
After meeting in May in Beijing with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Donald Trump refused to confirm whether he would authorize the approval of a pending new arms package for Taiwan, valued at approximately $14 billion (about €12.04 billion), which would be the largest in history.
Rubio stated that this sale remains under review, but noted that last December, the Trump administration approved an arms sale to Taiwan worth $11 billion (about €9.4 billion).
Read more: China: Trump willing to speak directly with Taiwan (with video)
The value of this sale exceeds the total value of arms sales made during Joe Biden’s administration (2021–2025) and has provoked a strong reaction from China, according to the Secretary of State. Taiwanese leader William Lai insisted that U.S. arms sales to the island are necessary to maintain peace and stability.
Donald Trump stated that he was reserving his response regarding the follow-up to the deliveries sought by Taipei, saying after his visit that it was “a very good bargaining chip” vis-à-vis Beijing.
“I think it’s clear that the Chinese side would like to see a change, but there has been no change in this regard,” Rubio added today. Acting U.S. Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao had stated last month that arms sales to Taiwan had been suspended.
