Chinese President Xi Jinping travels to Washington for a high-stakes summit with US President Donald Trump, where he is expected to press for a halt to US arms sales to Taiwan by invoking a 1982 joint communique. The talks come as a $14 billion US arms package for Taiwan remains frozen, which Trump has described as a negotiating chip. While Beijing may offer cooperation on Middle East tensions involving Iran in exchange for concessions, US lawmakers are urging Trump to maintain firm support for Taipei.
Summit Schedule and Logistics
- ▪Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to arrive in Washington on September 23, 2026, for a high-stakes summit with US President Donald Trump, with formal talks set for September 24, 2026.
- ▪Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to visit the US National Archives on September 25, 2026, where sources suggest he could press US President Donald Trump to halt arms sales to Taiwan.
The 1982 Communique and Assurances
- ▪The 1982 'Six Assurances' declassified in 2020 state that the US has not set a date to end arms sales to Taiwan nor agreed to consult Beijing before approving them.
- ▪A 1982 memo by then-US President Ronald Reagan conditioned the reduction of US arms sales to Taiwan absolutely on China's continued commitment to resolving its differences with Taiwan peacefully.
- ▪Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to invoke the 1982 US-China joint communique, under which the US pledged to gradually reduce and eventually phase out weapons sales to Taiwan.
Status of US Arms Packages
- ▪US President Donald Trump stated after a May 2026 summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing that he was holding the second $14 billion Taiwan arms package in abeyance as a negotiating chip
- ▪A White House official stated that US President Donald Trump will make a determination on the pending second $14 billion Taiwan arms package within a relatively short period
- ▪A second US arms package for Taiwan worth approximately $14 billion has remained on hold for months, following an $11 billion package approved by the Trump administration in December.
US Domestic and Expert Reactions
- ▪Former Deputy National Security Adviser Matt Pottinger stated he does not expect substantive changes on Taiwan during the Trump-Xi summit in Washington, predicting Chinese President Xi Jinping will lecture US President Donald Trump at length
- ▪Republican lawmakers, including Senator Pete Ricketts and Representative John Moolenaar, have urged US President Donald Trump to reject Chinese objections and maintain firm support and arms sales to Taiwan.
Taiwan's Defense and Security
- ▪United States law requires Washington to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, despite the lack of formal diplomatic relations.
- ▪China has sharply expanded its military activities around Taiwan over the past five years, including staging war games with live missile tests and operating armed forces around the island almost daily.
Taiwan's Diplomatic Stance
- ▪Taiwan's government rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims, while China continues to view the democratically-governed island as its own territory.
- ▪Taiwan's foreign ministry stated that it is closely monitoring the US-China high-level exchanges while maintaining robust communication with Washington.
Beijing's Summit Arguments
- ▪Chinese President Xi Jinping may tell US President Donald Trump that Taiwan is the provocateur and the sole source of instability in US-China relations.
- ▪Sources briefed on US-China discussions state that Chinese President Xi Jinping may offer cooperation in pressuring Iran over a Middle East conflict in exchange for the US halting arms sales and deliveries to Taiwan
Debatable claims
- ▪The US should halt arms sales to Taiwan
- ▪President Trump should use Taiwan arms sales as a negotiating chip
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