President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday that he would “make a determination” about sending a multibillion-dollar arms package to Taiwan following a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The $14 billion package has been awaiting the president’s approval for months but was reportedly held back ahead of Trump’s trip to Beijing. On Thursday, lawmakers were closely monitoring the conversations between Trump and Xi regarding Taiwan, and some were concerned that the visit would pressure Trump to further delay, or even halt, the package, NOTUS reported.
When pressed by reporters, Trump remained noncommittal on whether the conversation with Xi changed the status of the arms package. The president said he would decide “over the next fairly short period” about what to do with the package, adding that he would speak with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te before coming to a decision.