Trump-Xi Meeting Nears, Taiwan Issue in Focus; Former US Diplomat Calls for Upholding Taiwan Policy
As the Trump-Xi meeting approaches in Beijing, the Taiwan issue is a key focus. A former US diplomat urges the US to maintain its long-standing Taiwan policy and continue arms sales.
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- 📰 Published: May 14, 2026 at 07:04
- 🔍 Collected: May 14, 2026 at 07:32 (27 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 14, 2026 at 07:41 (9 min after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Hou Tzu-ying, Washington, 13th) The Trump-Xi meeting is about to take place in Beijing, and it is expected to touch upon Taiwan-related issues. How Trump will respond to Xi Jinping is attracting significant attention. Former US Ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns, stated today that it is important for Trump to uphold long-standing US policy and continue arms sales to Taiwan. Another expert warned that if Washington is willing to sacrifice the security interests of its partners, it could shake the confidence of the entire US alliance network.
Trump has already flown to Beijing and is scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the 14th and 15th. This will be the second summit between Trump and Xi since their meeting in Busan, South Korea, last October. It also marks the first time a US president has visited China since Trump's initial visit in 2017 during his first presidential term.
Trump recently told the media that he plans to discuss the issue of US arms sales to Taiwan with Xi Jinping, which will be one of many topics discussed by the two leaders.
As the Trump-Xi meeting approaches, Nicholas Burns, who served as US Ambassador to China during the Biden administration, posted on the X platform today, writing that Taiwan is an unpredictable "wild card" at the Beijing summit. He emphasized the importance of "President Trump upholding our half-century-long policy—the United States will continue to conduct significant arms sales to Taiwan and will not in any way weaken its government."
In addition, Rush Doshi, former Senior Director for China and Taiwan on the White House National Security Council, told a Central News Agency reporter today after a think tank seminar in Washington that the symbolic significance of this Trump-Xi meeting might outweigh its substantive content, focusing more on maintaining stability rather than structural progress in US-China relations.
He pointed out that discussions between the two sides will cover topics such as economy and trade, technology, and artificial intelligence (AI), and the Taiwan issue will almost certainly be mentioned, "but it is currently unclear whether any major resolutions will be reached."
He stated that it is expected that the US might increase exports to China, including Boeing aircraft, soybeans, beef, and potentially some semiconductors. On the other hand, the Trump administration might also make some concessions on Taiwan policy, but so far, signals from the Trump administration suggest no significant changes to its Taiwan policy.
Regarding Trump's announcement that he will discuss arms sales to Taiwan with Xi Jinping, Doshi expressed his hope that this would not be a discussion about the quantity, quality, or composition of arms sales to Taiwan.
Besides the arms sales issue, it is rumored that Xi Jinping might also ask Trump to change the wording regarding Taiwan. Patricia Kim, a US-China relations expert at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank, recently wrote an analysis stating that even subtle shifts in US declaratory language, such as changing from calling for a peaceful resolution of cross-strait differences to "supporting peaceful reunification," or from "not supporting" Taiwan independence to "opposing" Taiwan independence, would be highly significant.
Kim pointed out that these seemingly semantic differences could shape expectations and "affect how Beijing calculates risks." If Washington shows a willingness to trade the security interests of its partners at the negotiating table with Beijing, "this would not only shake Taipei's confidence but also the confidence of the entire US alliance network."
(Central News Agency reporter Hou Tzu-ying, Washington, 13th) The Trump-Xi meeting is about to take place in Beijing, and it is expected to touch upon Taiwan-related issues. How Trump will respond to Xi Jinping is attracting significant attention. Former US Ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns, stated today that it is important for Trump to uphold long-standing US policy and continue arms sales to Taiwan. Another expert warned that if Washington is willing to sacrifice the security interests of its partners, it could shake the confidence of the entire US alliance network.
Trump has already flown to Beijing and is scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the 14th and 15th. This will be the second summit between Trump and Xi since their meeting in Busan, South Korea, last October. It also marks the first time a US president has visited China since Trump's initial visit in 2017 during his first presidential term.
Trump recently told the media that he plans to discuss the issue of US arms sales to Taiwan with Xi Jinping, which will be one of many topics discussed by the two leaders.
As the Trump-Xi meeting approaches, Nicholas Burns, who served as US Ambassador to China during the Biden administration, posted on the X platform today, writing that Taiwan is an unpredictable "wild card" at the Beijing summit. He emphasized the importance of "President Trump upholding our half-century-long policy—the United States will continue to conduct significant arms sales to Taiwan and will not in any way weaken its government."
In addition, Rush Doshi, former Senior Director for China and Taiwan on the White House National Security Council, told a Central News Agency reporter today after a think tank seminar in Washington that the symbolic significance of this Trump-Xi meeting might outweigh its substantive content, focusing more on maintaining stability rather than structural progress in US-China relations.
He pointed out that discussions between the two sides will cover topics such as economy and trade, technology, and artificial intelligence (AI), and the Taiwan issue will almost certainly be mentioned, "but it is currently unclear whether any major resolutions will be reached."
He stated that it is expected that the US might increase exports to China, including Boeing aircraft, soybeans, beef, and potentially some semiconductors. On the other hand, the Trump administration might also make some concessions on Taiwan policy, but so far, signals from the Trump administration suggest no significant changes to its Taiwan policy.
Regarding Trump's announcement that he will discuss arms sales to Taiwan with Xi Jinping, Doshi expressed his hope that this would not be a discussion about the quantity, quality, or composition of arms sales to Taiwan.
Besides the arms sales issue, it is rumored that Xi Jinping might also ask Trump to change the wording regarding Taiwan. Patricia Kim, a US-China relations expert at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank, recently wrote an analysis stating that even subtle shifts in US declaratory language, such as changing from calling for a peaceful resolution of cross-strait differences to "supporting peaceful reunification," or from "not supporting" Taiwan independence to "opposing" Taiwan independence, would be highly significant.
Kim pointed out that these seemingly semantic differences could shape expectations and "affect how Beijing calculates risks." If Washington shows a willingness to trade the security interests of its partners at the negotiating table with Beijing, "this would not only shake Taipei's confidence but also the confidence of the entire US alliance network."