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The US is planning a major sale of Patriot missiles and other weapons to Taiwan, which Beijing has privately warned could jeopardize President Donald Trump’s state visit to China in April.
The Trump administration is developing a package of four systems for Taiwan, following a record $11.1 billion arms package unveiled in December, according to eight people familiar with the situation.
China has expressed serious concerns about the package ahead of Trump’s proposed meeting with President Xi Jinping in April. China had told the United States that arms sales could derail the trip, three of the people said.
Xi raised the issue of Taiwan arms sales with Trump in a call on Wednesday. According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, he stressed that the US should “handle the issue of arms sales to Taiwan with prudence”.
“China traditionally tries to prevent the US from taking adversarial actions such as Taiwan arms sales during presidential meetings,” said Ryan Haas, a China expert at the Brookings Institution.
“This is not new, but the clarity and public nature of the warning is noteworthy.”
Several people familiar with the situation said the package could be as large as $20 billion. But others cautioned that the final number could fluctuate and be closer to the December figure. Some US officials argue that China is bluffing and will not cancel the trip, according to the two people.
The package will include four systems. In addition to the Patriots, which will be used to destroy incoming missiles, the US will allow Taiwan to purchase more NASAMS, an advanced surface-to-air missile and two other weapon systems.
Multiple people familiar with the matter said the administration plans to inform Congress about the package this month. But some experts believe Trump will postpone the move until he returns from China.
Under the Taiwan Relations Act, the US is obliged to sell arms to Taiwan for its defense.
A White House official said, “As it has been for more than 40 years, the policy of the United States is to maintain Taiwan’s defensive capability relative to China.” “Credible deterrence has ensured peace and stability for many years – and for many others too. We do not comment on the specifics of a pending sale.”
Bonnie Glaser, a Taiwan expert at the German Marshall Fund, said the combination of the two weapons packages “clearly reflects the Trump administration’s strong support and willingness to risk China’s wrath, as well as the Lai administration’s determination to defend Taiwan”.
China’s Ambassador to Washington, Xie Feng, has warned the administration about the arms sale, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. The Chinese Embassy did not respond to a request for comment.
The arms sales package comes as frustration grows in Washington over political wrangling in Taipei that is delaying approval of a defense budget that would provide money to buy arms from the US.
Taiwan’s opposition parties – the Kuomintang and the smaller Taiwan People’s Party, which jointly hold a slim majority in parliament – ​​are blocking a draft NT$1.25trn ($40bn) special defense budget to be spent over eight years proposed by President Lai Ching-tey.
Last week, just before Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan ended its winter session, it advanced an alternative NT$400bn draft special defense budget, proposed by the TPP, for committee review.
The TPP bill would finance five of the eight items included in the $11 billion arms sales package unveiled in December. But it would not include money for a range of systems, including Harpoon missile support, helicopter parts and drone purchases from Taiwanese suppliers.
The opposition has also blocked a draft annual budget for 2026 that includes a 23 percent increase in defense spending to NT$949.5 billion.
The KMT and TPP say they support higher defense spending but accuse Lai of lacking transparency and demanding “blank cheques”. The Defense Ministry has since held a classified briefing for lawmakers.
Two people familiar with the situation in Washington said the Trump administration wanted to unveil the next arms package before allocating funds to Taiwan to counter the argument made by the opposition.
Jim Risch, Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Jeanne Shaheen, the panel’s top Democrat, said Friday they were “deeply disappointed” that Taiwan’s special defense budget was blocked in the legislature.
Both senators said, “We urge Taiwan’s political parties to work in good faith across party lines to fully finance Taiwan’s self-defense.”
