Lawmakers from both parties are watching closely for any signs President Donald Trump’s summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping could affect future U.S. support to Taiwan, as questions swirl around the future of a proposed $14 billion weapons package for the island.
“It’ll be interesting to see what he gives away on Taiwan,” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told reporters Thursday. She also noted that the White House readout of the Trump-Xi meeting “didn’t mention Taiwan at all.”
During the summit, Xi warned Trump that mishandling Taiwan could damage relations between the two countries and lead to conflict, according to Chinese state media and reports from the meeting. Beijing also described Taiwan as the “most important” issue in U.S.-China relations.