By Michael Martina and David Brunnstrom
WASHINGTON, June 25 (Reuters) – The U.S. State Department’s top diplomat for East Asia said on Thursday that a pending arms sale notification to Congress for Taiwan does not hinge on discussions with China, despite that suggestion from President Donald Trump.
Trump has repeatedly sown confusion about a $14 billion weapons package for Taiwan intended to bolster the island’s deterrence against Chinese military action, saying in May that he had discussed the issue in a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
In an interview following his meeting with Xi, Trump called the package a good “bargaining chip” that he was holding in “abeyance,” adding that it depended on China.
Those comments, which dismayed officials in Taiwan, were an apparent departure from long-standing U.S. policy known as the “Six Assurances” to Taiwan that such weapons sales would not be negotiated with Beijing.
Asked during a House Foreign Affairs Committee subcommittee hearing to confirm that a decision on whether to advance the weapons sale did not depend on talks with Beijing, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Michael DeSombre said: “Correct.”
DeSombre, who was nominated for his position by Trump, added that the Six Assurances still guided U.S. policy.
“I think we can assure you that whenever we meet with China, they raise the questions of Taiwan and Taiwan arms sales,” he said. “So, it’s something that is always discussed with them, but that is not in any way a deviation from the Six Assurances.”
DeSombre did not give a timeline for a decision on the arms package, which he said was still under review by Trump.
China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has long opposed U.S. weapons sales to the island, which Beijing sees as interference in its internal affairs.
Following Trump’s meeting with Xi, Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te has said the island would not be sacrificed or traded.
The United States, despite lacking formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, remains Taiwan’s most important international backer and largest supplier of arms. It is required by U.S. law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself.
Despite the concerns over Trump’s comments, in December his administration approved an $11 billion arms sales package, the largest ever.
(Reporting by Michael Martina and David Brunnstrom; Editing by Andrea Ricci )
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