Xi's Briefing Influenced Trump's Narrative, China Causes Taiwan Strait Tensions, Says US Scholar
David Sacks, a scholar at a US think tank, stated in an online forum that Chinese President Xi Jinping's briefing to President Trump appears to have led Trump to believe that Taiwan is the source of cross-strait tensions. Sacks argues that the tension stems from Chinese coercion against Taiwan, and the focus should be on China, not on Taiwan or its President, Lai Ching-te.
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- 📰 Published: May 20, 2026 at 11:01
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David Sacks, a scholar at a U.S. think tank, pointed out in an online forum today that Chinese President Xi Jinping seems to have extensively briefed President Trump on Taiwan during their meeting, leading Trump to believe that tensions in the Taiwan Strait are largely caused by Taiwan. Sacks believes that the tension in the strait originates from China's coercion against Taiwan, and the focus should be on the Chinese side, not on Taiwan and President Lai Ching-te.
Following U.S. President Donald Trump's remarks on the Taiwan Strait situation in media interviews, U.S. public opinion and academic circles have largely concluded that his narrative stems from a Chinese perspective.
David Sacks, an Asia Fellow at the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), stated at an online forum hosted by the Asia Society that Xi Jinping appeared to have given Trump a lengthy briefing on Taiwan, with most of it focusing on China's historical viewpoint.
Sacks said that Trump, on Air Force One, indirectly referenced points like Taiwan being part of China for thousands of years and the Korean War. "Trump is basically repeating what he heard from Xi Jinping, because this is not history that Trump understands or has learned."
He analyzed that this briefing resulted in Trump believing that tensions in the Taiwan Strait are mostly caused by Taiwan and President Lai Ching-te. However, Sacks believes, "The tension in the Taiwan Strait should be seen as coming from China's coercion against Taiwan, and the focus should be on the Chinese side, not President Lai." He added, "Trump seems to have been convinced to some extent that Taiwan is pursuing independence and taking aggressive actions, but this is not the case."
Sacks pointed out that Trump's narrative on Taiwan is worrisome. It wasn't apparent during his time in Beijing but was clearly reflected in an interview with Fox News and in a press gaggle on Air Force One.
Regarding U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, Sacks believes, "This is a small, manageable problem, but the bigger issue is how Trump views Taiwan and his narrative on it, the impact of which will last for the rest of his term." In the interview, Trump noted that pending arms sales to Taiwan are a good bargaining chip, which has also drawn attention to the U.S. commitment to the "Six Assurances" for Taiwan.
The "Six Assurances" are six policy commitments to Taiwan established during the Reagan administration in 1982, one of which states that the United States has not agreed to consult with China on the issue of arms sales to Taiwan.
Sacks thinks this has a negative impact on U.S. regional partners. From the perspective of Tokyo and Manila, it implies that the security of U.S. allies and other partners is negotiable, setting a damaging precedent.
He emphasized that the message from Beijing was that a large-scale arms sale to Taiwan would disrupt Xi Jinping's return visit to Washington, as well as the APEC and G20 leaders' meetings. This led to the arms sale being delayed for a year, affecting Taiwan's security. The whole world needs this equipment, and unless a contract is signed and Congress is notified, other countries will be moved ahead of Taiwan in the queue.
Sacks, who is familiar with the arms sales process, noted, "It has been discussed in the past that package arms sales are not good policy. There is an accumulation of $14 billion in items awaiting approval, and Beijing believes it needs to be notified first. They don't want [the sales] to show [U.S.] political support for Taiwan. If the U.S. conducted arms sales to Taiwan like it does with other partners, proceeding with and announcing contracts as they are ready, and avoiding accumulation, I believe Beijing's reaction would be much lower."
Following U.S. President Donald Trump's remarks on the Taiwan Strait situation in media interviews, U.S. public opinion and academic circles have largely concluded that his narrative stems from a Chinese perspective.
David Sacks, an Asia Fellow at the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), stated at an online forum hosted by the Asia Society that Xi Jinping appeared to have given Trump a lengthy briefing on Taiwan, with most of it focusing on China's historical viewpoint.
Sacks said that Trump, on Air Force One, indirectly referenced points like Taiwan being part of China for thousands of years and the Korean War. "Trump is basically repeating what he heard from Xi Jinping, because this is not history that Trump understands or has learned."
He analyzed that this briefing resulted in Trump believing that tensions in the Taiwan Strait are mostly caused by Taiwan and President Lai Ching-te. However, Sacks believes, "The tension in the Taiwan Strait should be seen as coming from China's coercion against Taiwan, and the focus should be on the Chinese side, not President Lai." He added, "Trump seems to have been convinced to some extent that Taiwan is pursuing independence and taking aggressive actions, but this is not the case."
Sacks pointed out that Trump's narrative on Taiwan is worrisome. It wasn't apparent during his time in Beijing but was clearly reflected in an interview with Fox News and in a press gaggle on Air Force One.
Regarding U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, Sacks believes, "This is a small, manageable problem, but the bigger issue is how Trump views Taiwan and his narrative on it, the impact of which will last for the rest of his term." In the interview, Trump noted that pending arms sales to Taiwan are a good bargaining chip, which has also drawn attention to the U.S. commitment to the "Six Assurances" for Taiwan.
The "Six Assurances" are six policy commitments to Taiwan established during the Reagan administration in 1982, one of which states that the United States has not agreed to consult with China on the issue of arms sales to Taiwan.
Sacks thinks this has a negative impact on U.S. regional partners. From the perspective of Tokyo and Manila, it implies that the security of U.S. allies and other partners is negotiable, setting a damaging precedent.
He emphasized that the message from Beijing was that a large-scale arms sale to Taiwan would disrupt Xi Jinping's return visit to Washington, as well as the APEC and G20 leaders' meetings. This led to the arms sale being delayed for a year, affecting Taiwan's security. The whole world needs this equipment, and unless a contract is signed and Congress is notified, other countries will be moved ahead of Taiwan in the queue.
Sacks, who is familiar with the arms sales process, noted, "It has been discussed in the past that package arms sales are not good policy. There is an accumulation of $14 billion in items awaiting approval, and Beijing believes it needs to be notified first. They don't want [the sales] to show [U.S.] political support for Taiwan. If the U.S. conducted arms sales to Taiwan like it does with other partners, proceeding with and announcing contracts as they are ready, and avoiding accumulation, I believe Beijing's reaction would be much lower."