GPS News
TAIWAN NEWS
Trump to decide 'soon' on sending weapons to Taiwan

Trump to decide 'soon' on sending weapons to Taiwan

by AFP Staff Writers
Aboard Air Force One (AFP) Feb 17, 2026
US President Donald Trump said Monday he would decide soon on whether to send more weapons to Taiwan, after Chinese President Xi Jinping warned him not to do so.

"I'm talking to him about it. We had a good conversation, and we'll make a determination pretty soon," Trump said, adding that he has a "good relationship" with the Chinese leader, whose country claims the self-ruled island of Taiwan as its territory.

In a phone call with Trump on February 4, Xi called for "mutual respect" in relations with the United States, while warning Washington about arms sales to the democratically run island.

"The Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-US relations... The US must handle arms sales to Taiwan with caution," Xi said, according to China's state broadcaster.

Trump and Xi are due to meet in Beijing in April.

China's Communist Party has never ruled Taiwan, but Beijing claims the island of 23 million people is part of its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to annex it.

Washington does not officially recognize Taiwan, but is the island territory's main military backer -- although the tone of that support has softened slightly under Trump.

The United States approved $11-billion worth of arms to Taiwan in December, Taipei said.

Shortly thereafter, China launched major live-fire drills to simulate a blockade around Taiwan's key ports.

While Trump has adopted a softer tone on support for Taiwan in his second term, the issue remains a thorn in US-China relations.

On Saturday, Beijing's top diplomat Wang Yi warned the United States against "plotting" on Taiwan, saying it could lead to a "confrontation" with China.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, Foreign Minister Wang said that in the future, the United States could adopt a China policy that involves "instigating and plotting to split China through Taiwan, crossing China's red line."

Taiwan has spent many billions of dollars upgrading its military in the past decade, but faces growing US pressure to do more to protect itself against China.

Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te has proposed $40 billion in extra defense spending by his government over eight years, but the plan has been blocked by the opposition-controlled parliament 10 times since early December.

On Thursday, dozens of US lawmakers urged Taiwan's opposition political parties to end their blocking of the move.

In an exclusive interview with AFP last week, President Lai said he was confident the defense budget would be passed.

Related Links
Taiwan News at SinoDaily.com

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
TAIWAN NEWS
China warns US 'plotting' on Taiwan could lead to 'confrontation'
Munich, Germany (AFP) Feb 14, 2026
Beijing's top diplomat Wang Yi warned the United States on Saturday against "plotting" on Taiwan, saying it could lead to a "confrontation" with China. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, Foreign Minister Wang said that in the future, the United States could adopt a China policy that involves "instigating and plotting to split China through Taiwan, crossing China's red line". "This could very likely lead to a confrontation between China and the United States," he said. He ... read more

TAIWAN NEWS
Struggling farmers find hope in India co-operative

Coffee regions hit by extra days of extreme heat: scientists

'Make America Healthy' movement takes on Big Ag, in break with Republicans

EU says Chinese levies on dairy products are 'unjustified'

TAIWAN NEWS
Samsung starts mass production of next-gen AI memory chip; Dutch court orders investigation into China-owned Nexperia

Dutch court orders investigation into China-owned Nexperia

Taiwan says 'impossible' to move 40 percent chip capacity to US

Light guided system delivers uniform nanoliter droplets on chip

TAIWAN NEWS
India opens Airbus helicopter assembly line

Germany does not need same fighter jets as France: Merz

German union urges homegrown fighter jet in blow to European plan

Airline sector falling behind on clean fuel switch: IATA

TAIWAN NEWS
China space firm tests two seat flying car concept in Chongqing

China top court says drivers responsible despite autonomous technology

Mercedes-Benz net profit nearly halves amid China, US woes

Carney scraps Canada EV sales mandate, affirms auto sector's future is electric

TAIWAN NEWS
France and India hail growing ties as Modi hosts Macron

China confirms visa-free access for Canada, UK visitors from Feb 17

China FM tells EU diplomats not to blame Beijing for bloc's problems

WTO chief urges China to shift on trade surplus

TAIWAN NEWS
Rome fells majestic pine trees near Colosseum

Amazon deforestation drives hotter drier regional climate

Landsat study maps boreal forest shift north

Indigenous Brazilians protest Amazon river dredging for grain exports

TAIWAN NEWS
Scientists trace Covid era methane surge to shifts in air chemistry and wetlands

When Earth's magnetic field took its time flipping

Satellite study revises methane loss high in Earth atmosphere

Airbus and Hisdesat extend deal to market next generation PAZ-2 radar imagery

TAIWAN NEWS
Carbon fibers bend and straighten under electric control

Engineered substrates sharpen single nanoparticle plasmon spectra

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2026 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.