US Senators urge Trump to approve Taiwan arms deal ahead of Xi summit
Washington, May 12 : A bipartisan group of US senators has urged President Donald Trump to move ahead with a $14 billion arms package for Taiwan ahead of his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this week, warning that any weakening of American support for Taipei would embolden Beijing and destabilise the Indo-Pacific.
In a letter led by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Senator Thom Tillis, the lawmakers urged the administration to formally notify Congress of the long-pending arms sale package, which they said was pre-approved in January 2025.
“We strongly encourage your administration to formally notify the $14 billion in US arms sales to Taiwan that Congress pre-approved in January 2025,” the senators wrote.
The lawmakers said Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan had approved a “robust special defense budget of $25 billion” aimed at strengthening the island’s self-defence capabilities amid growing military pressure from Beijing.
According to the letter, much of the new Taiwanese defence spending would go toward “US-provided defensive arms pending notification to Congress, including counter-drone assets, an integrated battle command system and medium-range munitions.”
The senators also cautioned Trump against using Taiwan as leverage during trade or geopolitical discussions with Xi.
“You should make clear to Beijing that as you seek to level the economic playing field, American support for Taiwan is not up for negotiation,” the lawmakers wrote.
The letter was signed by Democratic and Republican senators, including Chris Coons, John Curtis, Tammy Duckworth, Jacky Rosen, Andy Kim and Elissa Slotkin, underscoring the bipartisan backing in Congress for Taiwan’s security.
The lawmakers argued that Taiwan’s defence partnership with the United States has served as “an effective bulwark against Chinese military action that would plunge the world into a catastrophic war.” They said the proposed package included “drones, anti-ship missiles, radar systems and mines” intended to make a Chinese invasion “prohibitively costly”.
The senators said Taiwan’s political leaders had overcome “persistent and overt pressure from Beijing” to pass the defence spending bill and urged Washington to demonstrate similar resolve.
“Just as Taiwan’s leaders demonstrated unity in support of their people’s defense, so too must we move ahead with pending US arms sales vital to our own national interests,” the letter said.
The lawmakers also framed the issue in economic terms for American households, warning that a Chinese move against Taiwan would trigger global instability.
“In a world in which Beijing moves decisively to seek control of Taiwan, American families would suffer from severe and long-term inflation, supply chain disruptions that would destroy manufacturing jobs at home and steep hikes in the cost of living,” they wrote.
The letter comes as tensions between Washington and Beijing remain elevated over trade, technology restrictions, military activity in the Taiwan Strait and competing influence in the Indo-Pacific. China considers Taiwan a breakaway province and has repeatedly vowed to bring the self-governed island under its control, including by force if necessary.
In a letter led by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Senator Thom Tillis, the lawmakers urged the administration to formally notify Congress of the long-pending arms sale package, which they said was pre-approved in January 2025.
“We strongly encourage your administration to formally notify the $14 billion in US arms sales to Taiwan that Congress pre-approved in January 2025,” the senators wrote.
The lawmakers said Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan had approved a “robust special defense budget of $25 billion” aimed at strengthening the island’s self-defence capabilities amid growing military pressure from Beijing.
According to the letter, much of the new Taiwanese defence spending would go toward “US-provided defensive arms pending notification to Congress, including counter-drone assets, an integrated battle command system and medium-range munitions.”
The senators also cautioned Trump against using Taiwan as leverage during trade or geopolitical discussions with Xi.
“You should make clear to Beijing that as you seek to level the economic playing field, American support for Taiwan is not up for negotiation,” the lawmakers wrote.
The letter was signed by Democratic and Republican senators, including Chris Coons, John Curtis, Tammy Duckworth, Jacky Rosen, Andy Kim and Elissa Slotkin, underscoring the bipartisan backing in Congress for Taiwan’s security.
The lawmakers argued that Taiwan’s defence partnership with the United States has served as “an effective bulwark against Chinese military action that would plunge the world into a catastrophic war.” They said the proposed package included “drones, anti-ship missiles, radar systems and mines” intended to make a Chinese invasion “prohibitively costly”.
The senators said Taiwan’s political leaders had overcome “persistent and overt pressure from Beijing” to pass the defence spending bill and urged Washington to demonstrate similar resolve.
“Just as Taiwan’s leaders demonstrated unity in support of their people’s defense, so too must we move ahead with pending US arms sales vital to our own national interests,” the letter said.
The lawmakers also framed the issue in economic terms for American households, warning that a Chinese move against Taiwan would trigger global instability.
“In a world in which Beijing moves decisively to seek control of Taiwan, American families would suffer from severe and long-term inflation, supply chain disruptions that would destroy manufacturing jobs at home and steep hikes in the cost of living,” they wrote.
The letter comes as tensions between Washington and Beijing remain elevated over trade, technology restrictions, military activity in the Taiwan Strait and competing influence in the Indo-Pacific. China considers Taiwan a breakaway province and has repeatedly vowed to bring the self-governed island under its control, including by force if necessary.
