US President Donald Trump has reportedly withheld approval of a $400 million military aid package to Taiwan in recent months while pursuing trade negotiations and a possible summit with China, the Washington Post reported on Thursday.
The move signals a sharp shift from Washington’s long-standing policy of robust military support for Taiwan, a self-ruled democracy facing mounting threats from Beijing.
While the United States formally switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in the late 1970s, it has remained Taiwan’s most important ally and leading arms supplier.A White House official told the Post that “no final decision has been made” on the aid package. Trump, who returned to the White House in January, is scheduled to hold his second call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday, with discussions expected to cover tariffs, trade disputes, and the fate of video-sharing app TikTok.
Under former president Joe Biden, Washington approved over $2 billion in military aid packages for Taiwan. Trump, however, has repeatedly voiced opposition to sending weapons “for free,” insisting that recipients — whether Taiwan or Ukraine — should pay for US arms.
In August, US and Taiwanese defense officials held talks in Anchorage, Alaska, over potential multi-billion-dollar arms sales, including drones, advanced missiles, and coastal monitoring systems. The delay in finalizing aid has heightened anxiety in Taipei, where leaders worry about Washington’s reliability in the face of possible Chinese aggression.
Seeking to ease those fears, Republican Senator Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, visited Taiwan in late August. After meeting with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, Wicker said:
“It is our determination and our intention that Taiwan remain free and make its own decisions.”
He stressed the importance of deepening military cooperation and defense industry ties, pledging bipartisan congressional support for Taiwan’s security.
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