Trump says he will speak to Taiwan’s Lai on arms deal after meeting Xi

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he plans to speak with Taiwan’s Lai Ching-te regarding a stalled arms package after holding talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing last week.

Trump did not indicate how he would proceed with the proposed $14 billion arms sale, but said he has “the situation very well in hand.”

“I’ll speak to him. I speak to everybody. We have that situation very well in hand. We had a great meeting with President Xi. It was amazing,” Trump told reporters at Andrews Air Force Base.

“We’ll work on that, the Taiwan problem,” he added.

The Taiwan weapons package, which includes missiles and air defense interceptors, has remained stalled for months at the State Department.

The issue was widely expected to be discussed during Trump’s two-day summit with Xi in Beijing, though there has been little indication of how the talks affected the proposed sale.

While returning from China, Trump acknowledged that he discussed the Taiwan arms deal “in great detail” with Xi, while stressing that his priority is to avoid another war.

“I’ll be making decisions, but I think, you know, the last thing we need right now is a war that’s 9,500 miles away,” he said.

Lai said earlier Wednesday that “Taiwan’s future must not be determined by external forces or hijacked by fear, division or short-term benefits.”

Lai took office in May 2024 after winning the election earlier that year. His four-year term runs until 2028, but his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) holds a minority in the local legislature, making governance dependent on cross-party negotiations.

He also reiterated Taiwan’s willingness to engage with China on the “basis of parity and dignity” while rejecting what he described as “united front” efforts aimed at “influencing public opinion and undermining democratic processes.”

Separately, a spokesperson for China’s State Council Taiwan Affairs Office said Lai’s remarks “fully exposed his bluster and weakness” and accused him of promoting “separatist” positions that undermine cross-strait stability, according to Xinhua News Agency.

The spokesperson, Zhu Fenglian, said Lai had “stubbornly adhered to a separatist stance” since taking office and described him as “the biggest source of instability” in the region.

Beijing reiterated that there is “one China” and that Taiwan is part of it, stressing that no statements or actions would alter what it called the “historical trend toward reunification.”

Commenting on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s meeting with Xi this week, Trump said he views the visit as productive, but added that the welcome Xi extended to him was far superior to what Putin received.

“I think it’s good. I get along with both of them, but I think it’s good. I don’t know if the ceremony is quite as brilliant as mine. I watched. I think we topped them,” the US president remarked.