TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that a proposed US$14 billion (NT$438.82 billion) arms sale package for Taiwan is still under review, while stressing that Washington's policy toward Taipei has not changed.
Appearing before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Rubio said that both during and after the Trump-Xi meeting in China, he had repeatedly said that US policy toward Taiwan remained unchanged, per CNA. He added that Beijing had hoped Washington would alter its wording on Taiwan, but the US had not done so.
Rubio said the proposed NT$438.82 billion arms sale to Taiwan “remains under review.” He also noted that the Trump administration approved a US$11 billion (NT$345.51 billion) arms sale package for Taiwan in December, which he described as "the single-largest arms sale ever" to the country.
He said the package exceeded the combined value of arms sales approved during the Biden administration's four years in office. Rubio also noted that Taiwan went six years without any US arms sales during the Obama administration.
Rubio confirmed that there is a second pending weapons sale to Taiwan that “remains under review.” He said the scale and visibility of the December arms package had made Beijing "very aggressive," prompting it to undertake coercive measures.
He emphasized that the US wants to maintain the status quo, saying, "That is our policy," while acknowledging that the relationship remains delicate and requires careful balancing. "But our policy toward Taiwan has not changed, and it did not change on this trip," Rubio said.
Ahead of the Trump-Xi meeting, observers speculated that Xi might urge Trump to alter Washington's wording on Taiwan, shifting from the longstanding US position that it does not support Taiwan independence to one that explicitly opposes it, CNA reported. Democratic members of the Select Committee on the CCP warned on May 13 that Taiwan's security and US commitments in the Indo-Pacific must not be used as bargaining chips in negotiations with Beijing.
After the summit, Trump told Fox News on May 15, following his talks with Xi, that he was considering whether to approve the arms sale. When asked what the decision was hinging on, Trump said, “I’m holding that in abeyance, and it depends on China. It’s a very good negotiating chip for us, frankly. It’s a lot of weapons.”
President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) on May 17 said continued US arms sales and deeper Taiwan-US security cooperation remain necessary as China expands its military capabilities and refuses to renounce the use of force against Taiwan. He stressed that Taiwan is a sovereign and independent democratic country, not subordinate to China, and that this reflects the consensus of the Taiwanese people.
