For China's Sake, US Postpones Sending Weapons Worth IDR 195.6 Trillion, Trump: Taiwan is a Very Good Bargaining Chip

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — US President Donald Trump reaffirmed his opposition to Taiwan’s independence after attending the US-China summit in Beijing. Trump also took a cautious stance regarding the possibility of Washington selling additional weapons to Taiwan.

In an interview with Fox News on Thursday (15 May) local time, Trump stated that he has not yet decided whether to approve the sale of new weapons to Taiwan.

“I haven’t approved it. Maybe I will, maybe I won’t,” said Trump. “For now, I’m postponing it, and it depends on China. This is a very good bargaining card for us.”

Trump said the potential value of the arms sale reaches 12 billion US dollars (IDR 195.6 trillion). According to him, this amount is very large and has a strategic impact on Washington-Beijing relations.

He also emphasised the importance of maintaining the status quo in the Taiwan Strait and avoiding open conflict with China.

“China is a very, very large power, while Taiwan is just a small island,” said Trump. “Taiwan is only about 95 kilometres from mainland China, while the US is about 15,000 kilometres away.”

Trump stressed that he does not want a situation where the United States is forced to be involved in a war due to Taiwan’s declaration of independence.

“I don’t want a situation where someone says, ‘The US is pressuring us, so let’s declare independence’,” he said. “I hope that Taiwan and China will both exercise restraint.”

This statement also marks Trump’s opposition to the political line of Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government, which Beijing has long considered to be leaning towards formal Taiwanese independence.

Trump also claimed that China will not take military action against Taiwan during his tenure as president.