TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — In addition to denying President Lai Ching-te's (賴清德) transit through the US, the White House reportedly canceled a visit to Washington by Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄).
The Washington Post and Financial Times reported that during this week’s trade talks in Stockholm — and ahead of a potential fall summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping — Washington adopted a more conciliatory stance toward Beijing. This included discouraging Lai’s planned US transit in early August and postponing Koo’s scheduled June meeting with senior Pentagon officials.
Citing three sources, the Washington Post said Lai had intended to stop in Dallas and New York in early August. The trip was canceled after the Trump administration attempted to modify the itinerary.
One source said the White House wanted Lai to avoid major cities and limit public engagements. Another said, “They didn’t say absolutely no, but they put so many restrictions on (the stopovers) that it was clear they didn’t want it.”
Two other sources said Koo had planned to meet officials such as Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby, but the visit was abruptly canceled following a Trump-Xi phone call in early June.
According to the Financial Times, the US told Taiwan the cancellation was due to military strikes on Iran, making the timing inappropriate. However, several sources said some US officials feared that allowing Koo to visit would undermine US-China trade talks and hinder Trump’s efforts to seal a summit with Xi.
White House officials were concerned that Koo’s visit could be perceived by Beijing as a deliberate provocation. By unwritten convention since the US switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979, Taiwanese defense ministers have not visited Washington.
The Financial Times said the US and Taiwan are now discussing rescheduling the meetings. However, sources said the White House prefers to have a lower-ranking official attend, raising concerns that Trump is attempting to avoid further aggravating Beijing.
The Washington Post added that the meetings were scuttled after Xi urged Trump during their June call to limit US-Taiwan engagement. The meetings have not yet been rescheduled.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration is weighing whether to send more military equipment directly to Taiwan. The Financial Times reported that under strong pressure from Washington, Taipei has been striving to ramp up arms purchases to bolster its defenses against a potential Chinese invasion.
Three sources said Taiwan submitted a request in June for a US$20 billion (NT$594.4 billion) weapons package. Taipei hopes the deal can be finalized next year.
The Washington Post cited a US official as saying the Pentagon sent a proposed aid package to the White House for Trump’s review but has not received approval. Another source said the plan was later forwarded to the State Department, which also plays a role in arms sales decisions.
