WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump declined to approve US$400 million in military aid to Taiwan in recent months while negotiating on trade and a potential summit with Beijing, the Washington Post reported Thursday (Sep 18).
The decision would mark a sharp departure from US policy toward the democratic island, which faces a constant threat of invasion by China.
A White House official told the Post that the aid package decision was not yet final.
Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping are set to speak on Friday, their second call since the 79-year-old Republican returned to the White House. The telephone talks come as the two sides seek a compromise on tariffs and a deal on video-sharing app TikTok.
While the United States stopped recognising Taiwan in the late 1970s in favour of China, Washington has remained Taipei’s most important backer and biggest supplier of military aid.
Under former president Joe Biden, Washington approved more than US$2 billion in military aid packages for Taiwan. But Trump “does not support sending weapons without payment, a preference also on display with Ukraine”, the Post noted.
