China reportedly requested that Trump and Xi not approve arms sales to Taiwan before the meeting. Glacier: The arms sales case will be postponed until after the meeting.

Bonnie Glaser, director of the Indo-Pacific Program at the German Marshall Fund (GMF), a Washington think tank. (File photo)

As China reportedly asked the United States not to approve new arms sales to Taiwan before the Trump-Xi meeting, Bonnie Glaser, director of the Indo-Pacific program at the German Marshall Fund (GMF) think tank in Washington, said on the 12th that large-scale arms sales to Taiwan were unlikely to be announced in the next two weeks, but she believed that arms sales would resume later. The key lies in the timing, not whether they are carried out.

Japan's "Kyodo News" quoted multiple people familiar with U.S.-China relations on the 12th as saying that Beijing has conveyed a message to Washington that if the United States approves new arms sales to Taiwan before the Trump-Xi meeting scheduled to be held on September 24, Xi Jinping may postpone his visit to the United States. China also emphasized once again that the Taiwan issue is the "red line" in Sino-US relations.

What has attracted attention this time is the US$14 billion arms sales plan to Taiwan that is under review by the United States. "Reuters" previously reported that the relevant plan involves Taiwan's air defense and other defense equipment, and the U.S. government has not yet announced the official approval time.

Glaser judged that it would be difficult to have a major case before the summit, and arms sales may be postponed until after the summit.

Glacier said on the social platform X on the 12th that the United States is unlikely to announce large-scale arms sales to Taiwan in the two weeks before the Trump-Xi meeting. She pointed out that this is related to Washington’s emphasis on summits and related diplomatic arrangements, but arms sales do not mean that this will stop.

Glaser also said that arms sales to Taiwan "will resume." The question is "when," not "if." She believes that if the Trump-Xi meeting is held as scheduled, relevant arms sales are likely to be pushed forward again after the summit.

The timing of Beijing's request coincides with the critical period of whether the United States will approve the US$14 billion arms sales plan. Kyodo News reported that China is putting pressure on Xi Jinping to postpone his visit to the United States, but there is currently no official statement from the U.S. government confirming that Washington has decided to postpone or cancel relevant arms sales.

The Trump-Xi meeting is scheduled to be held in the United States on September 24. Whether Xi Jinping will visit the United States as scheduled and when the US$14 billion arms sales to Taiwan will be announced still need to be decided by the United States and China on follow-up arrangements and the US government. Glaser's latest judgment focuses on the timing of the arms sales announcement, rather than whether the arms sales themselves will disappear.