US hawks push Trump on multibillion-dollar Taiwan arms deal ahead of Xi summit

Observers say US leader may be ‘miscalculating’ if he attempts to use the US$14 billion package to ramp up pressure on Beijing Washington has reopened discussions on billions in arms sales to Taiwan, casting a shadow over a leaders’ summit just weeks away – a meeting already burdened by bilateral trade frictions. Although observers doubt the deal will go through before Chinese President Xi Jinping’s trip to the US, they warn that Taiwan is a strict red line and any arms package could derail bilateral talks. The package remains under review by the Trump administration and was described by the US president as “a very good negotiating chip” with Beijing during his high-stakes state visit to China in May.

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