Taiwan’s leader on Sunday emphasized the island’s sovereignty and the importance of US arms purchases in deterring regional conflict, amid doubts of Washington’s support for Taiwan.
After his meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, US President Donald Trump suggested using potential weapons sales to Taiwan as a “bargaining chip” with Beijing, which views the island as a renegade province.
While US officials have sought to dispel concerns of Washington changing its Taiwan policy, Trump’s comments “will embolden Beijing to increase pressure on Taipei,” a Brookings scholar on China argued, elevating “the risk of confrontation.”
Trump’s close advisers believe that China could invade Taiwan in the next five years, Axios reported, threatening the chip supply chain that powers the US’ AI boom.