Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te hopes that US support will also be reliable for President Donald Trump.Image: keystone
After US President Donald Trump’s meeting with China’s head of state Xi Jinping, Taiwan’s leadership emphasized how important further US arms deliveries are for the island state and security in the entire region.
May 18, 2026, 05:09May 18, 2026, 05:09
“This is not only a U.S. security promise to Taiwan, but also a long-standing important deterrent against those who undermine peace and stability in the region,” President Lai Ching-te wrote in a Facebook post. Taiwan has strategic importance for security in the Indo-Pacific, while China is continuing to expand its armed forces and wants to change the balance of power in the region – if necessary by force.
US President Donald Trump recently caused a stir by describing his pending decision on further arms sales to Taiwan as an effective means of exerting pressure on Beijing. He’s still leaving it up in the air, “it depends on China,” Trump told Fox News.
“To be honest, it is a very good trump card for us in negotiations.”
There are a lot of weapons involved, Trump said about the deal with Taiwan. “China is a very, very powerful big country. This is a very small island.”
Xi Jinping and Donald Trump got along well at their meeting, at least on the surface.Image: keystone
China sees arms sales as an affront
The possible arms sale would be worth 14 billion US dollars (the equivalent of around 12 billion euros). The US Congress had already approved it in January 2025. While the US has long supported Taiwan’s efforts to modernize its armed forces and strengthen defense capabilities, China views such arms sales as an affront. The People’s Republic wants to annex Taiwan and is threatening to use the military if this does not work peacefully.
The island republic with around 23 million inhabitants has had an independent and democratic government for decades. In fact, Taiwan was never part of the communist People’s Republic of China, founded in 1949.
During his talks with Trump in Beijing on Thursday, China’s head of state and party leader Xi Jinping warned of possible conflicts with the USA if the Taiwan issue was handled poorly. This could put China-US relations in an “extremely dangerous situation,” he said. (sda/dpa)