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Taiwan hasn't been notified of immoderate intermission successful a planned $14 cardinal U.S. arms sale, a authorities authoritative said Friday (May 22, 2026), aft the acting U.S. Navy Secretary told a Senate committee successful Washington that immoderate overseas subject income were being delayed to guarantee the American subject has capable munitions for the Iran war.
Days aft U.S. President Donald Trump raised doubts astir continuing arms income to Taiwan, which China claims arsenic its ain territory, acting U.S. Navy Secretary Hung Cao said connected Thursday (May 21, 2026) that the income would resume erstwhile the medication considers it appropriate.
“Right present we’re doing a intermission successful bid to marque definite we person the munitions we request for ‘Epic Fury,’” Mr. Cao told the U.S. Senate Appropriations Defence Subcommittee, referring to the Trump administration's sanction for the Iran operation. “Then the overseas subject income volition proceed erstwhile the medication deems necessary.”
Taiwan's authorities person seen the reports, “but presently determination is nary accusation regarding immoderate adjustments the U.S. volition marque to this arms sale,” Taiwanese Presidential spokesperson Karen Kuo said Friday (May 22, 2026) erstwhile asked astir Mr. Cao’s comments.
Mr. Trump’s Republican administration authorised an $11 cardinal weapons bundle for Taipei successful December, but it has yet to determination forward. American lawmakers besides approved a abstracted $14 cardinal arms merchantability to Taiwan successful January, though the woody can't proceed until Mr. Trump formally submits it to U.S. Congress.
In an interrogation with Fox News connected his mode backmost to the United States from past week’s travel to Beijing, Mr. Trump said that arms income to Taiwan are “a precise bully negotiating chip” successful Washington’s dealings with China.
On Wednesday (May 20, 2026), marking his 2 years successful office, Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te said that if fixed the chance, helium would archer Mr. Trump to proceed U.S. arms purchases, which Mr. Lai called indispensable for peace.
When asked astir Mr. Cao's comments, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said that “China’s absorption to the U.S. arms merchantability to China’s Taiwan portion is consistent, clear-cut and resolute.”
Last week, during Mr. Trump's sojourn to Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping issued a beardown warning, telling him that the “Taiwan question” is the astir important contented successful U.S.-China relations and that the 2 nations could “have clashes and adjacent conflicts,” if the issues isn't handled properly.
Mr. Trump aboriginal told reporters that helium needed to speech to the idiosyncratic who is moving Taiwan, without naming Mr. Lai, who Beijing deems a separatist.
Mr. Trump and Mr. Lai holding talks apt would choler China, which typically responds powerfully to visits to Taiwan by U.S. politicians.
Mr. Kuo, the Taiwan Presidential spokesperson, said connected Friday (May 22, 2026) determination was nary much accusation astir a imaginable speech betwixt Mr. Lai and Mr. Trump.
