Taiwan pushes back as Trump remarks cast doubt on arms sales

Trump’s mixed messages on Taiwan arms sales have turned a weapons decision into a test of U.S. credibility. As Jamieson Greer tried to soften the fallout by saying Trump was “considering” how to handle the deal, Taiwan and several members of Congress were left confronting a more damaging question: whether Washington’s commitments to the island are steady policy or open to negotiation.

The dispute centers on a roughly $14 billion arms package that cannot move forward until Trump formally sends it to Congress. Under the Taiwan Relations Act, the United States is supposed to make available the defense articles and services Taiwan needs to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability, and U.S. policy also treats a peaceful resolution of Taiwan’s future as a core interest. That framework matters because the package is not an abstract signal. It is part of Taiwan’s deterrence strategy, alongside the record $11.1 billion arms sale approved in December 2025.

Taiwan’s president, Lai Ching-te, pushed back forcefully on May 17, saying Taiwan will not be “sacrificed or traded” and will not give up its free way of life under pressure. He added that U.S. arms sales are a security commitment based on law. Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs went further, saying China’s opposition to U.S. arms sales was unreasonable, groundless and an attempt to distort the truth. The U.S. State Department had already stepped in on May 13 to restate Washington’s commitments after Trump’s remarks triggered concern in Taipei.

The pressure in Washington has been bipartisan. Before the Beijing summit, Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Thom Tillis, Chris Coons, John Curtis, Tammy Duckworth, Jacky Rosen, Andy Kim and Elissa Slotkin urged Trump to notify Congress of the Taiwan package. House Democrats later pressed him to approve it. Their concern is not only the size of the package but the message its delay sends at a moment when Taiwan is watching for signs of U.S. resolve.

That uncertainty is the real risk. A delayed arms sale can be read in Taipei as hesitation and in Beijing as an opening. Axios reported that some of Trump’s advisers fear China may move against Taiwan within five years, which only sharpens the stakes for regional security and for the semiconductor supply chain tied to the island. Trump has said he had not decided whether to approve the package and would make a determination soon, but every conflicting signal makes it harder for allies to trust that Washington’s line is coherent.