U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said on Friday that President Trump was transparent with China’s leader during their meetings this week about Taiwan and a planned U.S. arms deal to the island.
“I think the president was quite clear that it is going to be status quo going forward,” he told Fox News’s Martha MacCallum. “Every one of these arms sales to Taiwan is always vehemently opposed by the People’s Republic of China.”
Trump told reporters on Friday that he had “made no commitment” on the issue of Taiwan after a two-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who opposes American support for the island.
The president is facing bipartisan pressure from Congress to greenlight a $14 billion U.S. arms sale to Taiwan. He told reporters on Friday that he will “make a determination over the next early short period” and that that he needs to speak to the leader of Taiwan first.
China claims the island as its own, while Taiwanese leaders insist on its independence. The U.S. has not validated either claim.
Waltz said that the president’s lack of comment on Taiwan was “in line with our long-standing policy of strategic ambiguity.”
“I mean, there is a whole line of thinking that if you basically indicate or tell China we won’t be there, that that could embolden them as well,” he said. “So it’s about keeping stability and peace in the straits.”
Taiwan’s foreign affairs ministry responded to the president’s comments on the arms deal on Friday, commending the U.S. on its “long-standing and consistent policy toward Taiwan.”
“Regarding arms sales to Taiwan, this is not only a security commitment to Taiwan explicitly stated in the Taiwan Relations Act, but also a joint deterrent against regional threats,” the ministry said.
“Taiwan appreciates President Trump’s continued support for cross-strait security since his first term, with the previous announced arms sales reaching a record high,” the statement continued. “Close cooperation between Taiwan and the US has always been the cornerstone of peace across the Taiwan Strait.”
During the meeting, Xi and Trump also struck business deals and discussed reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively closed during the Iran war.
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