President Donald Trump will raise critical issues of U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and the imprisonment of Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai in his upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
These discussions come amid escalating tensions over Taiwan and Beijing’s crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong, highlighting the complex geopolitical landscape ahead of the summit.
President Donald Trump announced on Monday that two significant geopolitical issues – U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and the imprisonment of Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai – will be central to his discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping at their upcoming summit in Beijing.
The issue of Washington's arms sales to Taiwan has long been a contentious point between the United States and China. Beijing views these sales as a violation of the 'one-China principle' and has warned that any attempts to 'contain China' through Taipei are destined to fail. When questioned about America's commitment to Taiwan's defense, Trump stated, "I'm going to have that discussion with President Xi." He acknowledged that "President Xi would like us not to, and I'll have that discussion. That's one of the many things I'll be talking about." This follows reports that Beijing had urged the Trump administration to reduce its security commitments to the island nation.
Trump is scheduled to meet Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday, with a broad agenda that includes discussions on Iran, trade, rare earth export controls, and Taiwan. Notably, the Trump administration has reportedly paused arms deliveries following a substantial $11 billion weapons package for Taiwan authorized in December, just before the presidential summit.
China's foreign ministry spokesperson, Guo Jiakun, had previously stated in December, "By aiding Taiwan's independence through arms sales, the U.S. will only end up harming itself. Any attempt to use Taiwan to contain China is doomed to fail." Meanwhile, Taiwanese lawmakers recently approved a special defense budget of $25 billion for missiles and other weaponry from the U.S., falling short of the $40 billion requested by the government to counter China's growing military assertiveness.
Bonnie Glaser, managing director of the Indo-Pacific program at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, cautioned that any softening of rhetoric from Trump, even ambiguous, could be a "most destabilizing outcome." She warned that a perceived bargain, where Washington appears to concede influence over Taiwan to Beijing in exchange for other concessions, might embolden China to further erode Taiwan's autonomy. China considers the democratically governed island its own territory, a claim rejected by Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party.
Lai's Release Remains a Priority
Trump also confirmed his intention to press Beijing for the release of Jimmy Lai, the founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper. Lai was sentenced to 20 years in prison in February by a Hong Kong court on charges of colluding with foreign forces. "Jimmy Lai — he caused lots of turmoil for China. He tried to do the right thing. He wasn't successful, went to jail, and people would like him out, and I'd like to see him out too," Trump remarked on Monday. He had previously called for Lai's release during a meeting with Xi at the APEC summit in October of the previous year.
Beijing, however, has maintained that Lai "should be severely punished according to the law" and has accused foreign governments of interfering in Hong Kong's judicial process. Lai, a prominent pro-democracy advocate, was convicted under the national security law introduced in 2020. He has been detained for over five years, serving a separate prison sentence for fraud charges. His 20-year sentence is the longest handed down under the national security law.
