Lawmakers press Trump for military support for Taiwan after Xi summit

Washington — Lawmakers successful some parties accidental the U.S. should proceed to supply arms to Taiwan aft President Trump, astatine the extremity of his acme with Chinese President Xi Jinping, said helium hasn't decided whether to determination guardant with a pending arms merchantability to the island.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One Friday aft departing Beijing, Mr. Trump said helium and Xi "talked a batch astir Taiwan" during their summit and confirmed the Chinese person had brought up the U.S. weapons sale. The president said helium made "no committedness either way" connected the contented and declined to publically authorities whether the U.S. would support Taiwan successful the lawsuit of a Chinese attack.

The comments rapidly drew attraction connected Capitol Hill, wherever Taiwan has agelong enjoyed beardown bipartisan enactment and lawmakers person been pushing the medication to determination up with a delayed $14 cardinal arms merchantability that Congress approved successful January.

Rep. Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican and erstwhile House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman, said Friday that the U.S. indispensable "arm Taiwan truthful they tin support themselves for deterrence against Chairman Xi." McCaul said that during the summit, Xi was "very aggressive" regarding Taiwan and added that "most of what [Xi] talked astir was Taiwan."

Asked astir the information that the president has not yet made a determination connected the arms sale, McCaul replied that determination "there should be" a decision.

During the summit, Xi told Mr. Trump that the Taiwan question is the astir important contented successful China-U.S. relations, according to a Chinese readout of their meeting. A Chinese ministry spokesperson said Xi made it wide that if Taiwan "is handled properly, the bilateral narration volition bask wide stability." If not, "the 2 countries volition person clashes and adjacent conflicts, putting the full narration successful large jeopardy."

The ministry said Xi besides told Mr. Trump that "'Taiwan independence' and cross-Strait bid are arsenic irreconcilable arsenic occurrence and water."

House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Gregory Meeks, a New York Democrat, besides stressed the value of U.S. enactment for Taiwan's defenses. Meeks was among a radical of apical House Democrats who had urged Trump up of the acme to o.k. the delayed bundle earlier gathering Xi, informing that delaying Taiwan arms income could weaken deterrence of Chinese aggression successful the Taiwan Strait.

"I deliberation it is important for america to marque definite that Taiwan does person what it needs to support itself," Meeks told CBS News connected Friday.

Meeks besides argued Xi has "leverage implicit the president" but not "over the United States Congress and the American people." He said Congress has already acted connected the package, and "the president is the 1 that's holding it up."

Speaker Mike Johnson besides reiterated his enactment for Taiwan Friday, though helium said helium has not yet received a afloat readout from Trump connected the talks with Xi.

"We've ever been concerned, and we've made America's interests precise clear," Johnson said. "Our presumption connected Taiwan, they request to enactment autarkic and unafraid there."

Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick compared Taiwan to Ukraine, calling some "fortresses of democracy" that are "on the beforehand lines."

"We person to enactment Taiwan," Fitzpatrick said. "We should beryllium bolstering it."

Taiwan emerged arsenic 1 of the astir intimately watched issues up of Trump's travel to Beijing, arsenic lawmakers disquieted that the medication could hold oregon reconsider aboriginal arms income arsenic portion of broader negotiations with China connected commercialized and Iran.

The U.S. announced a grounds $11 cardinal arms merchantability to Taiwan precocious past year, angering Beijing and prompting Chinese subject exercises adjacent the island. The larger $14 cardinal bundle is inactive awaiting Mr. Trump's signature 4 months aft Congress approved it.

In:

• Taiwan