Four Republican senators urge unfreezing of more than $15 billion in military aid to Taiwan
Quick Look
Four U.S. Republican senators wrote to the secretaries of state and defense, calling for the immediate unfreezing of more than $15 billion in shelved national security assistance to Taiwan, fearing that Trump's use of Taiwan as a bargaining chip in negotiations with China would weaken Indo-Pacific deterrence.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The Trump administration approved a record-high US$11.1 billion in arms sales to Taiwan in December last year, but the second batch of arms sales worth approximately US$14 billion has been shelved for several months. A very small number of Republican members of Congress have openly questioned the government's Taiwan policy.
As U.S. President Trump prepares to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping for a three-day state visit, four U.S. senators from the same Republican Party as Trump called on the 23rd to immediately unfreeze more than $15 billion in shelved national security aid to Taiwan.
Reuters reported on the 23rd that former Senate Majority Leader and Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell, Texas Senator John Cornyn, Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, and North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis jointly sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and War Secretary Pete Hegseth to express strong concerns about this funding.
The letter listed projects that have been put on hold by the Trump administration, including the State Department's failure to promote the US$300 million in "Foreign Military Financing" (FMF) for Taiwan that Congress had appropriated, and the War Department's failure to spend US$1 billion in military aid. The Trump administration even decided to suspend approval of a US$14 billion arms sale to Taiwan.
The letter emphasized, "We are concerned about President Trump's description of Taiwan as a 'very good negotiating chip' when negotiating with Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party."
The letter further stated: "It is difficult to imagine how the United States can establish a credible deterrent influence in the Indo-Pacific region if the price of maintaining a diplomatic appearance is to deprive our partners of critical deterrence capabilities."
The State Department and Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the letter.
Sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that Xi Jinping is expected to use the 1982 Joint Communiqué (the 817 Communique) as an excuse to pressure Trump to completely halt arms sales to Taiwan during his visit to Washington.
China has always described Taiwan, which it regards as its own territory, as the most sensitive and important diplomatic issue, and has repeatedly asked the United States to stop arms sales to Taiwan.
The Trump administration approved a $11.1 billion arms sale to Taiwan in December last year, setting a record high. However, the second batch of arms sales worth approximately US$14 billion has been shelved for several months.
In Congress, members of the Republican Party like Trump rarely question his administration’s actions publicly. However, among the four senators who signed the letter, three, including McConnell, Cornyn and Tillis, will leave the Senate at the end of this year, leaving only Murkowski to remain in office.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The Trump administration will unfreeze military aid to Taiwan after Xi Jinping’s visit to balance pressure on Congress
Possible · Within weeks
Open Questions
- Will the Trump administration unfreeze military aid to Taiwan during Xi Jinping’s visit?
- Is there enough support in Congress to push forward the Taiwan security assistance bill?
- How will China respond to the United States’ continued arms sales to Taiwan?
