Despite Beijing's pressure on arms sales, U.S. says it is committed to Taiwan

Washington, Feb. 8 (CNA) The Trump administration remains committed to Taiwan, a U.S. official said on Sunday, following reports that Beijing had privately warned the U.S. that arms sales to Taiwan could jeopardize President Donald Trump's visit to China in April.

"This administration has been very clear that the enduring U.S. commitment to Taiwan continues, as it has for over four decades," a State Department spokesperson told CNA, while declining to comment on pending arms transfers.

"We urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure against Taiwan, and instead engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The comments came in the wake of a Financial Times report on Saturday that Washington was preparing an arms sale to Taiwan of Patriot missiles and other weapons worth as much as US$20 billion.

The sale would follow a US$11.1 billion arms package that the U.S. approved in December for Taiwan, the report said.

Beijing, meanwhile, has privately warned the U.S. that the latest sale could jeopardize President Trump's state visit to China in April, the report said.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping (習近平) also raised the issue during a call with Trump last week, urging the U.S. to handle the issue of arms sales with "prudence," according to the Chinese foreign ministry.

Taiwan budget battle

In Taiwan, however, funds to pay for the weapons packages remain tied up in the opposition-controlled Legislature, which has yet to approve the government's 2026 budget proposal and an NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.5 billion) special defense budget for 2026-2033.

Several U.S. senators have urged Taiwan to pass the budgets, while the White House said last Friday that it "strongly" supported Taiwan's efforts to boost its defense and deterrence capabilities, according to a report on the U.S. political news site The Hill.

"We welcome President Lai's announcement on Taiwan's intent to spend over 3 percent of GDP on defense in 2026 and 5 percent by 2030," a senior White House official was quoted as saying in the report.

Taiwan's 2026 general budget proposal would boost defense funding -- including veterans' and Coast Guard expenses -- by NT$93.8 billion, or 20.1 percent, to NT$949.5 billion, which would be equivalent to 3.32 percent of the country's GDP, according to government data.