TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The US is weighing a major new arms sale to Taiwan worth up to US$20 billion (NT$639 billion), a move Beijing has warned could jeopardize a planned meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in April, the Financial Times reported Saturday.

Xi raised the issue during a phone call with Trump last week, stressing that the US must handle arms sales to Taiwan with “prudence,” according to the report.

Ryan Hass, a China expert at the Brookings Institution, said China has long sought to pressure Washington ahead of high-level meetings to avoid actions it strongly opposes, including arms sales to Taiwan. “This is not new, but the bluntness and public nature of the warning is noteworthy,” Hass said.

The new arms package comes as frustration has grown in Washington over political infighting in Taipei, which has delayed approval of Taiwan’s defense budget. The budget was intended in part to fund arms purchases from the US.

Sources familiar with deliberations in Washington said the Trump administration wants to announce the next round of arms sales before Taiwan receives the necessary funding to counter arguments from opposition parties in Taiwan.

Lawmakers from the Taiwan People’s Party and the KMT have said they support increased defense spending but accused President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) of lacking transparency and issuing what they described as “blank checks” for arms purchases.

While the arms package could reach US$20 billion, other sources cautioned the final figure remains uncertain and may be closer to the US$11 billion sale announced last December.

The proposed package reportedly includes an advanced surface-to-air missile system (NASAMS), Patriot missiles and two additional weapons systems. Sources said the Trump administration initially planned to notify Congress of the sale in February, but some analysts believe Trump may delay notification until after his return from China.

Under the Taiwan Relations Act, the US is required to provide Taiwan with defensive weapons. “As it has been for more than 40 years, the policy of the United States is to maintain Taiwan’s defensive capability relative to that of China,” a White House official said, per FT.