Trump-Xi Summit: Taiwan Arms Deal Becomes Key Flashpoint

President Donald Trump and China's Xi Jinping are meeting in Washington on Thursday, with a proposed $14 billion US arms package for Taiwan emerging as a potentially contentious issue. Beijing has urged Trump to halt the deal, warning it could jeopardize the summit. The package, including air defence missiles, has been awaiting Trump's approval for months. Trump has described it as a "very good negotiating chip" in broader talks, while China considers Taiwan an internal matter and has long opposed US weapons sales to the island. The dispute stems from the 1982 US-China Joint Communique, where Washington agreed to gradually reduce arms sales to Taiwan, though the US also cites the Taiwan Relations Act and "Six Assurances" supporting defensive arms. Taiwan's strategic location and semiconductor industry, led by TSMC, add significant stakes to the issue.