Trump Risks China's Anger With Plan To Call Taiwan President

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he would speak with Taiwan‘s President Lai Ching-te about a stalled arms package, days after his visit to China.

Engaging with Taipei always risks the fragile relationship between the U.S. and China, given the latter’s longstanding claim that it should govern the self-ruled island, but Trump told reporters, “I speak to everybody” when asked about a potential phone call.

Trump had been asked if he planned to call Lai before deciding on a proposed $14 billion arms sale, which has been on hold for months at the State Department.

“We have that situation very well in hand,” Trump said. “We had a great meeting with President Xi. It was amazing, actually, many of you were there. We’ll work on that, the Taiwan problem.”

Trump took a phone call from Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen before his first term in the White House, but a sitting U.S. president has not spoken to their opposite number in Taiwan since diplomatic ties were severed in 1979. Trump has been known to often break precedent, and has spoken to a variety of world leaders during both his White House terms.

Taiwan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hsiao Kuang-wei told Newsweek Wednesday that President Lai had reiterated that communication channels with the U.S. remain open.

“If given the opportunity, he will reflect the voice of Taiwanese society and emphasize: First, peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are essential elements for global security and prosperity,” Kuang-wei said. “Our government maintains the status quo with neither arrogance nor subservience. Taiwan is a guardian of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”

Why Taiwan Matters

Democratically governed Taiwan is one of America’s top trading partners. In recent years it has solidified its place as the world’s leading maker of advanced computer chips used in everything from smartphones and computers to fighter jets and missiles.

Beijing maintains that the island just off the Chinese coast belongs to it, and this has been an ongoing source of tension with the U.S. when the latter continues to be the main supplier of weapons to Taipei.

China‘s president warned American officials that they risked a major conflict because of their differences on Taiwan.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in an interview with NBC News that the U.S. stance on Taiwan and its right to self-governance “is unchanged as of today.”

“It was raised,” Rubio said of the Chinese demand. “They always raise it on their side. We always make clear our position and we move on to the other topics.”

The Taiwan issue has been a longstanding one between the U.S. and China, causing frequent diplomatic clashes. In 2022, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, ringing alarm bells in Beijing and Washington, D.C.

She was the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the country in 25 years, and framed the visit as part of a broader mission at the time to stand up to who she viewed as autocrats. At the same time, the Biden administration maintained the U.S. had a “one China” policy.

Taiwan Weapons Package: What To Know

The $14 billion arms deal being discussed between the U.S. and Taiwan has been in discussion for months, following an announcement in December 2025, which came as Taiwan faced increasing military pressure from China, as it seeks to gain control of the island.

Included in the proposal are HIMARS rockets systems, anti-tank missiles, loitering suicide drones, military software, and antiarmor missiles, according to CNN.

Upon his return from China, Trump said he had discussed the deal with China’s leader, and stressed his priority was avoiding another war.

Kuang-wei told Newsweek Wednesday that China was “the disruptor of peace” in the region and that Taiwan needed to strengthen its defense capabilities as a result.

“We are very grateful to President Trump for his concern about the situation in the Indo-Pacific region. In addition to being committed to maintaining the stability of the Taiwan Strait, President Lai is also happy to discuss this with President Trump,” the spokesperson added.

A spokesperson for the Chinese U.S. embassy told Newsweek that “the Taiwan question is the most important issue between China and the U.S., one that affects the entire relationship.”

“China urges the US to take concrete actions to keep the relationship on an even keel, contribute to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiqués, especially the August 17 Communiqué of 1982, stop arms sales to Taiwan, and stop sending wrong messages to ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces,” the spokesperson said.

Trump could delay approving new Taiwan-bound weapons packages for now, given his invitation to Xi for another round of talks in the United States in September and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen in December, but the president’s comments Wednesday suggested he would like to see a deal signed off sooner rather than later.

A White House official told Newsweek that Trump would make a determination soon, and that the deal was consistent with U.S. policy since the 1950s.

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This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 3:27 PM.