Trump Declines To Approve US$400M in Military Aid to Taiwan: Report

TaiwanPlus News

The Washington Post has reported that US President Donald Trump declined to approve a military aid package to Taiwan worth more than US$400 million. In response, Taiwan's government was quick to emphasize that US-Taiwan security cooperation is still going strong.

Transcript

00:00The Washington Post, citing people familiar with the matter, has reported that U.S. President

00:04Donald Trump has declined to approve a military aid package for Taiwan worth more than $400

00:09million U.S. dollars.

00:11The package would have included items like munitions and autonomous drones.

00:15The White House said in a statement that this decision has not yet been finalized.

00:19It's unclear why Trump reportedly made this decision, but it comes as the U.S. is in the

00:24middle of negotiating deals with China on trade and Chinese-owned social media app

00:28TikTok, as well as a potential meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping this fall.

00:33Trump and Xi are also expected to have a phone call on Friday to discuss some of these issues.

00:39In response, Taiwan's government emphasized that U.S.-Taiwan security cooperation is still

00:43going strong, including this statement from the Defense Ministry.

00:47Taiwan's presidential office also stressed that Taiwan and the U.S. work closely on security

00:50issues.

00:51Taiwan's presidential office also stressed that Taiwan and the U.S. work closely on security

00:58issues.

00:59It said Taiwan is committed to bolstering its self-defense capabilities and will continue to work

01:03with the U.S.

01:04with the U.S. to maintain stability in the region.

01:09Taiwan's presidential office also stressed that Taiwan and the U.S. work closely on security

01:14issues.

01:15It said Taiwan is committed to bolstering its self-defense capabilities and will continue

01:19to work with the U.S. to maintain stability in the region.

01:23Taiwan's foreign ministry echoed these statements.

01:26Despite Taipei's reassurances, the latest report is likely unwelcome news for Taiwan, which faces

01:31continuous threats from China.

01:33Beijing claims Taiwan is its territory and has threatened to take it by force if necessary.

01:39This also isn't the first time we've seen reports of the Trump administration appearing

01:43to undercut relations with Taiwan during trade negotiations with China.

01:47In July, the Trump administration reportedly blocked Taiwan President Lai Qingde from making

01:52stopovers in the U.S. on his way to visit allies in Central America after China objected

01:57to the visit.

01:58And in June, the Trump administration also reportedly canceled a planned meeting in the U.S. with

02:03Taiwan's defense minister.

02:05The U.S. has been a big backer of Taiwan's security.

02:08Under former President Joe Biden, the U.S. approved several large aid packages to Taiwan.

02:13But the Trump administration seems to have taken a different approach, emphasizing that

02:17Taiwan and other partners should pay for the weapons they receive.

02:21It has also repeatedly urged Taiwan to increase its defense spending.

02:26More broadly, the Trump administration has also been less clear on its stance on Taiwan's

02:30security, sparking some concerns whether it would support Taiwan in the event of a Chinese

02:35invasion.

02:36And although this latest development is significant, it's still unclear whether or not it signals

02:41a broader shift in U.S. policy towards Taiwan's security.

02:44So we'll just have to wait and see how this plays out.

02:47Joseph Wu, John Su, and Cadence Caranto for Taiwan Plus.

02:50Thank you

03:04.

03:07.

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