ISSUE:
Trump in May said he discussed a weapons package for Taiwan with China’s Xi Jinping, a departure from the long-standing US policy known as the ‘six assurances’
The US Department of State’s top diplomat for East Asia on Thursday reaffirmed that the US’ policy on arms sales to Taiwan remains unchanged, adding that a pending arms sale notification to the US Congress for Taiwan does not hinge on discussions with China.
US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Michael DeSombre made the remark in response to queries during a US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee subcommittee hearing.
Asked at the hearing to confirm that a decision on whether to advance the weapons sale did not depend on talks with Beijing, DeSombre said: “Correct.”
Photo: Screen grab from House Foreign Affairs Committee Republicans’ YouTube channel
DeSombre, who was nominated for his position by US President Donald Trump, added that the “six assurances” still guided US 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.
Trump in May said that he had discussed the US$14 billion weapons package for Taiwan — intended to bolster its deterrence against Chinese military action — in a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平).
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 were an apparent departure from long-standing US policy known as the “six assurances” to Taiwan that such weapons sales would not be negotiated with Beijing.
Despite the concerns over Trump’s comments, in December his administration approved an US$11 billion arms sales package, the largest ever.
The “six assurances” were issued in 1982 by then-US president Ronald Reagan and have been reaffirmed by US presidents and Taiwan-related legislation since.
The “six assurances” are the following: The US agreed to not set a date for ending arms sales to Taiwan, it would not consult with China on arms sales to Taiwan, it would not mediate between either side, would not revise the Taiwan Relations Act, would not change its official position on Taiwan’s sovereignty and would not pressure Taiwan to negotiate the matters with China.
Following Trump’s meeting with Xi, President William Lai (賴清德) has said that the nation would not be sacrificed or traded.
The US, despite lacking formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, remains Taiwan’s most important international backer and largest supplier of arms.
It is required by US law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself.
