US President Donald Trump said he made no commitment to Chinese President Xi Jinping over a planned $14 billion arms sale to Taiwan after their meeting in Beijing on May 15, 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4]. Trump told reporters, "I made no commitment either way," and said he would make a determination on the arms deal "over the next fairly short period" after further talks with Taiwanese leaders [2].

The United States government has approved the sale, valued between $11 billion and $14 billion, pending Trump's final sign-off [2, 5, 4, 6, 7, 8]. Trump commented that he wants Taiwan and China to "cool down" amid rising tensions and remarked, "I’m not looking to have somebody go independent and we’re supposed to travel 9,500 miles to fight a war" [5, 4, 8]. The distance referenced is roughly 9,500 miles (15,300 km) from the US to Taiwan [5, 4, 8].

Chinese President Xi Jinping called Taiwan "the most important issue in China-US relations" and warned mishandling it could lead to collision or clashes, pushing bilateral ties into a "highly dangerous situation" [2, 4]. Xi made the statement during their May 15 meeting in Beijing [2, 4].

China has strongly opposed US arms sales and military ties with Taiwan, viewing Taiwan as an internal Chinese matter. Zhang Han, a Chinese government official, said, "We firmly oppose any form of military ties between the US and China’s Taiwan region, and urge the US side to abide by the one-China principle...stop arms sales to Taiwan, and refrain from sending wrong signals to ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces" [6, 7]. China restated this position repeatedly ahead of the Trump visit [6, 7].

US policy on Taiwan remains unchanged, supporting Taiwan security without recognizing its sovereignty, according to officials following the meeting [2]. Trump has delayed approving the arms package pending consultations with Taiwan leadership, but no decision has been taken yet [2].

Some US officials also called on China to use its influence over Iran to aid ceasefire talks, reflecting broader diplomatic efforts amid global tensions [4].

Trump’s next step will be making a decision on the Taiwan arms sale soon, as he indicated on May 15 and reiterated on May 16, 2026 [2, 3, 8].