Xi Jinping will ask Donald Trump to halt arms sales to Taiwan

Xi Jinping is expected to ask Donald Trump at the Washington summit on September 24 to halt U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and suspend some deliveries that have already been ordered, according to sources cited by Reuters. Beijing will support its request with the 1982 U.S.-China joint communique, in which the United States pledged to gradually reduce arms deliveries to Taipei.

China interprets the document as a commitment to end the sales, while Washington cites President Ronald Reagan’s note and the “Six Assurances,” which do not set a deadline for ending them. The United States approved an $11 billion arms package in December, while another, estimated at $14 billion, is still pending.

The Taiwan issue remains one of the most sensitive topics in relations between Beijing and Washington. China has intensified its military activities around the island, while U.S. officials and members of Congress support maintaining assistance for Taipei’s self-defense capabilities. Xi and Trump will also discuss trade, critical minerals, artificial intelligence and the Middle East.