Taiwan Envoy Rejects Fears Of Being "Traded" To China, Urges Approval Of $14B Arms Package

Taiwan’s representative to the United States, Alexander Tah-ray Yui, said he is not worried that Taiwan will be "traded off" during U.S.-China negotiations and stressed the importance of a proposed $14 billion U.S. arms package for the island.

Yui made the remarks in an interview with Politico published Saturday as President Donald Trump weighs final approval of the $14 billion sale and has left open the possibility of speaking with Taiwan’s president, Lai Ching-te.

U.S. Policy Unchanged, Officials Say

Yui told Politico that Trump’s recent visit to China and his meeting with Xi Jinping "did not change anything regarding the longstanding position of the United States regarding Taiwan." He added that officials across the administration have consistently said there has been no change in U.S. policy on Taiwan.

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te delivers a speech to mark his second anniversary in office during a press conference in Taipei on May 20. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

"I don’t feel any concern that we’re being sort of traded off to the Chinese in any way," Yui said.

Broad Ties Beyond Defense

Yui emphasized that relations between Washington and Taipei extend far beyond military cooperation. "There’s lots of things going on between the United States and Taiwan, not only the security aspect, but also on trade, investment, science and education," he said, pointing to major private investments such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s multibillion-dollar projects in Arizona.

He told reporters the size of the multi-billion-dollar arms package is "commensurate to the threat level that we are under," arguing that the equipment and munitions in the package reflect Taiwan’s defense needs.

Status Of The Sale And A Temporary Pause

Congress has cleared the $14 billion sale, but final approval rests with the president. The package has been paused while the administration reviews munitions availability for overseas operations. Acting Navy official Hung Cao told a Senate defense subcommittee that the pause was intended to ensure the U.S. has sufficient munitions for Operation Epic Fury, adding that foreign military sales would resume when deemed appropriate by the administration.

President Donald Trump poses for a picture with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a visit to the Zhongnanhai Garden in Beijing on May 15. (Evan Vucci/Pool Photo via AP)

A Potential Presidential Call

Trump has not ruled out speaking with President Lai, saying, "I’ll always talk to him." Such a direct call between a sitting U.S. president and a sitting Taiwanese president would be historically significant, as it would be the first since Washington and Taipei severed formal diplomatic ties in 1979. China has publicly opposed the idea.

Yui said a high-level call would be "thoroughly reasonable," stressing Taiwan’s status as a self-governing polity and arguing that U.S. leaders should hear Taiwan’s perspective directly to provide balance to Beijing’s narrative.

Context From Recent China Visit

Trump visited China from May 13-15, describing the trip as productive and claiming progress on trade and other issues. Beijing said the visit "deepened mutual trust," while also reiterating that Taiwan remains a major source of tension in U.S.-China relations. Trump and Xi reportedly discussed scenarios related to a potential Taiwan Strait conflict.

Bottom line: Taiwan’s envoy says there is no sign the island is being "traded off" and urges completion of the $14 billion arms sale as a measure of Taiwan’s defensive needs, while highlighting broad, nonmilitary ties with the United States.