Taiwan has not been notified of a pause in U.S. arms sales, after acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao revealed it during congressional testimony.
During his Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee hearing on Thursday, Cao said the nation’s shipment of weapons to the island will be temporarily paused as the war with Iran continues.
“We have done some foreign military sales to them,” he told lawmakers. “It’s just right now we’re doing a pause in order to make sure we have the munitions we need for Epic Fury — which we have plenty.
“But we’re just making sure we have everything, but then the foreign military sales will continue when the administration deems necessary,” Cao said, adding that War Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio would decide whether to approve arms sales to Taiwan in the future.
On Friday, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Presidential Office said at a press conference that Cao’s remarks were noted but that “we have not received any relevant information about the U.S. adjusting these military sales.”
China is very much opposed to the United States providing military support to Taiwan in case Beijing decides to invade the territory. Despite their friendly relations, the U.S. does not recognize Taiwan as a sovereign nation.
Last week, President Donald Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping to strengthen trade ties and discuss the Iran war. During the two-day summit, Xi warned Trump that conflict would break out if the Taiwan issue is mishandled. Trump did not acknowledge the statement, but he has discussed the issue since then.
Speaking with Fox News on his way back to the U.S. from the overseas trip, Trump called the $14 billion arms sale to Taiwan, which he has yet to approve, a “very good negotiating chip” in his administration’s diplomacy with China.
Trump’s comment alarmed the Taiwanese government, which has stressed that U.S. policy toward the self-ruling island has not changed.
“Taiwan will not provoke or escalate conflict, but it will also not relinquish its national sovereignty and dignity, or its democratic and free way of life, under pressure,” Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te said earlier this week, adding China is “the root cause of undermining regional peace and stability and attempting to change the status quo.”
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On Wednesday, Trump indicated he plans to meet with Lai to solve the “Taiwan problem.” Beijing promptly protested the move.
Asked about Cao’s comments on future arms sales, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said, “China’s opposition to the U.S. arms sale to China’s Taiwan region is consistent, clear-cut, and resolute.”