Taiwan has pressed the Trump administration to expedite delivery of a long-delayed $14 billion weapons package, warning that its capacity to deter Chinese aggression rests on maintaining military readiness. The appeal came on 28 September after a high-profile summit between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington yielded little public discussion on Taiwan's status.

Taiwan Sidelined at Trump-Xi Summit

Alexander Yui, Taiwan's representative to the United States, said Taiwan was conspicuously absent from post-summit statements issued by both Washington and Beijing. Appearing on CBS's 'Face the Nation' on Sunday, Yui noted: 'It was not the main topic of discussion. As a matter of fact, during the released statements by both sides on the deliverables or the achievements, Taiwan does not figure in neither side of the papers.'

Trump acknowledged that Taiwan did come up during his talks with Xi but said the two leaders 'did not spend much time on the issue.' Beijing, for its part, described Taiwan as a 'foundational issue' in its relationship with Washington — a signal of how centrally it factors into China's strategic calculus even when it is not publicly foregrounded.

US Position Unchanged, Yui Says

Yui said the United States had reiterated its stance without modification despite Beijing's framing. 'The United States made it very clear that no change in position towards Taiwan,' he said. He also pointed to a meeting between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the foreign ministers of Japan and South Korea ahead of Xi's visit, during which all three parties reportedly supported peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and opposed coercion.

The Arms Backlog: What Is Holding It Up

The $14 billion weapons package has already been approved by Congress, and Taiwan has already paid for the arms, according to reports. Yet presidential sign-off has not materialised. Several Republican senators have also reportedly questioned why more than $1 billion in additional assistance remains undelivered.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz attributed the delays to strain on the American defence industrial base. 'There is a huge backlog of arms, and a lot of this is about our industrial base and being able to produce not only what they are requesting, but what the Europeans are requesting,' Waltz told a news network. He added that Washington must also account for US military requirements and competing international demands.

Waltz said the Trump administration had authorised more arms sales to Taiwan in its first year than the previous administration approved across its entire term, though he did not provide a timeline for presidential approval of the pending package.

Peace Through Strength: Taiwan's Argument

Yui framed the arms deal in deterrence terms, not provocative ones. 'This purchase or this sale actually is peace through strength — is the best way to avoid any conflict,' he said. 'The notion that China will not attack Taiwan is on the basis that Taiwan is strong.'

Taiwan is also reportedly increasing its own defence budget and seeking to shoulder a greater share of its security costs, with the United States remaining its principal weapons supplier. Yui further argued that Taiwan's strategic importance extends beyond geography, citing the island's dominance in advanced semiconductor production — chips that underpin artificial intelligence systems, servers, and critical global technology infrastructure.

The Broader Geopolitical Stakes

Taiwan governs itself as a de facto independent state, but Beijing claims the island as part of China and has not ruled out using force to assert control. The United States does not maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taipei but is legally committed under domestic law to helping Taiwan retain a credible self-defence capability. This comes amid a broader recalibration of US-China relations under the Trump administration, which has oscillated between economic confrontation and diplomatic engagement. How Washington resolves the arms delivery question will carry significant signal value for both Taipei and Beijing in the months ahead.