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Trump says he will speak to Taiwan's president in violation of protocol

2026-05-21 08:16:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

US President Donald Trump said he would talk to Taiwanese leader Lai Ching-te about a possible arms sale, in what would be a major departure from diplomatic tradition.

American and Taiwanese leaders have not spoken directly since 1979 - when Washington severed official ties with Taiwan to recognize the Beijing government.

Beijing claims Taiwan as its territory and has not ruled out taking it by force. Lai, who took office in 2024, is behind one of the strongest efforts in years to strengthen the island's defenses.

The US has long supported Taiwan and is legally obligated to provide it with a means of self-defense, but has had to balance this with maintaining a diplomatic relationship with China.

When asked Wednesday if he planned to speak to Lai before making a decision on U.S. arms sales, Trump said: "I'll talk to him. I talk to everybody... we'll work on this, the Taiwan problem."

He also praised his relationship with China's President Xi as "wonderful," following a two-day summit in Beijing last week.

In 1979, the US passed the Taiwan Relations Act, which states that the US can “provide Taiwan with defensive weapons” - so it continues to sell weapons to Taiwan.

Trump has said he has not yet decided whether the sale of a $14 billion (£10.4 billion) arms package to Taiwan, reportedly including anti-drone equipment and air defense missile systems, will proceed.

According to a Financial Times report, Beijing is currently putting on hold a proposed visit by the Pentagon's top policy official, Elbridge Colby, saying it cannot approve a visit until Trump decides how to proceed with the arms deal.

Last week, while returning from Beijing on Air Force One after his meeting with President Xi, Trump was similarly asked about arms sales to Taiwan, about which he said he would "make a decision over the next fairly short period of time."

"I need to talk to the person who is now, you know who it is, who is running Taiwan," he said.

During Trump's visit to Beijing, China had made it clear that Taiwan was one of the biggest problems in its relations with the US, with Xi warning of "conflict" between the two superpowers if it was mishandled.

And while Trump dismissed the possibility of conflict between the U.S. and China over the island, he said Xi felt “very strongly” about Taiwan. “I made no commitment on any of those aspects,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One last week.

Since the Trump-Xi meeting, Lai has issued statements saying that the island is a "sovereign, independent and democratic country" and that peace in the Taiwan Strait will not be "sacrificed or traded."

Lai also stressed that US arms sales were a "key factor in maintaining regional peace and stability."

This is not the first time Trump has broken tradition. In 2016, he spoke with then-leader Tsai Ing-wen when he was president-elect. China later filed a complaint with the US over that call.

Trump also said he had discussed arms sales "in great detail" with Xi - another unexpected shift from US policy if true.

In 1982, the US assured Taiwan that it would not consult with Beijing on arms sales to Taiwan. But when asked about that commitment on his return from Beijing, Trump said the 1980s were a "long way off."

Last December, the US approved an arms sale worth $11bn (£8.2bn) to Taiwan - one of the largest ever - which sparked anger from Beijing.

Taiwan, under President Lai, has significantly increased defense spending to counter growing military pressure from China.

Many Taiwanese consider themselves part of a separate nation - although most are in favor of maintaining the status quo in which Taiwan neither declares independence from China nor unites with it./ CNA, translated by BBC