Following a three-day state visit to Beijing, US President Donald Trump announced that the administration had temporarily suspended approval of a major military sales package to Taiwan. In an interview with Fox News on May 15, 2026, Trump stated that he had not yet approved the arms sale and could approve it or not.

"I've temporarily suspended approval for arms sales, and it's up to China. It's a very good bargaining chip for us." — said the US President, specifying that the weapons in question were worth approximately 12-14 billion dollars.

According to Trump, Taiwan's status was discussed in detail during his talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, and the Chinese leader called it "the most important issue" in relations with the United States. Trump emphasized that he favors maintaining the status quo and does not want war.

“I don’t want a situation where someone says, ‘The US supports us, let’s declare independence,’” — the American president stated, making it clear that he opposes the Taiwanese administration’s steps to declare independence.

Trump also questioned the validity of the "six guarantees" given to Taiwan by the Ronald Reagan administration in 1982, which stipulated that the US would not consult China beforehand on arms sales to the island.

Journalists and experts note that Trump has not provided definitive guarantees of continued military support for Taipei, causing concern among US allies in the Asia-Pacific region. Analysts fear the US president could use Taiwan as a bargaining chip in his negotiations with Beijing on other issues, including the Iranian nuclear program and the trade balance. A timeline for a decision on whether to unblock or permanently cancel the arms package has not yet been set.