Is Trump reconsidering Taiwan arms deal after Xi Jinping's warning? US president says 'I’m talking...'

US President Donald Trump said on Monday (Feb 16) that he would decide soon on whether to send more weapons to Taiwan. His statement is being seen as a cautionary measure taken by the US after Chinese President Xi Jinping warned him Trump about the arms deal with Taiwan in a phone call earlier this month. In what sounded like US' decision to send weapons to Taiwan would depend on Jinping's opinion on the matter, Trump said, "I’m talking to him about it. We had a good conversation, and we’ll make a determination pretty soon." He also added that he has a “good relationship” with the Chinese leader. The United States approved US$11-billion arms package to Taiwan in December.

In the phone call with Trump on Feb 4, the Chinese premier termed the "Taiwan issue" as the "most important issue" in US.-China relations. Xi Jinping warned America and said that it should handle the arms deal with Taiwan with "utmost caution" and “prudence." He also clarified that China will "never allow Taiwan to be separated" and must safeguard its territorial integrity. Taking to Truth Social, Trump called the conversation an “excellent” one. Apart from Taiwan, Trump said that they discussed the war between Russia and Ukraine and the current situation with Iran. Highlighting his personal rapport with Jinping, Trump said, “The relationship with China, and my personal relationship with President Xi, is an extremely good one, and we both realise how important it is to keep it that way.

China’s Communist Party has never ruled Taiwan, but Beijing claims the island of 23 million people is part of its territory. Beijing has not ruled out the use of force to annex it. Washington does not officially recognise Taiwan, but is the island territory’s main military backer.

Taiwan's Deputy Foreign Minister Chen Ming-chi told AFP after the phone call: "We don't worry too much about this whole telephone communication. In fact, we believe that it will contribute to stabilise the situation. Taiwan-U.S. relations are rock-solid." Urging the intervention of US President Donald Trump on the China-Taiwan tensions, Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te said, "We believe President Trump is undertaking a difficult peace-building effort, which entails safeguarding US interests and deterring Chinese expansionism in the short term. Lai added that the United States did not need "to frame Taiwan as a bargaining chip in any discussions with China.

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te warned that countries in the region would be China's next targets if Beijing attacks Taiwan to seize it. Speaking to AFP in his first interview with a global news agency since taking office in May 2024, Lai said, “If China were to take Taiwan, Beijing would become more aggressive, undermining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and the rules-based international order…If Taiwan were annexed by China, China's expansionist ambitions would not stop there.” "The next countries under threat would be Japan, the Philippines, and others in the Indo-Pacific region, with repercussions eventually reaching the Americas and Europe," he added.

Beijing reacted sharply and called Taiwan's leader a "war instigator." Beijing said that he is paving way to disrupt peace and create crisis in the region. "Lai Ching-te's remarks once again exposed his stubborn pro-independence nature, fully proving that he is a peace disruptor, crisis creator, and war instigator. Seeking independence through external means and resisting reunification by force is like an ant trying to shake a tree -- doomed to failure," China's foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said.

Tensions between China and Taiwan have escalated to their highest level in decades. In late December 2025 and early January 2026, China conducted its largest-ever military exercises encircling Taiwan. Taiwan reported a surge in aerial and naval incursions and China also launched major live-fire drills to simulate a blockade around Taiwan’s key ports. Last month, a draft Pentagon report revealed China’s growing military ambitions and strategic focus on Taiwan. Adding to the tensions was the comment by Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi in December 2025, hinting that Japan would help Taiwan militarily if a situation like that arises. Beijing protested against the statement and asked Japanese PM to take back her comment and apologise. Relations between Japan and China also deteriorated after that.