U.S. arms sales to Taiwan take years to process ​and are unrelated to the war with Iran, a source familiar ‌with the matter said, after a senior U.S. ​official suggested there was a pause due to the ⁠need to have enough arms for the conflict.

Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, has been waiting for the U.S. to approve ‌an arms sale that Reuters reported could be worth up to $14 billion.

Taiwan’s government says U.S. hasn’t notified it of any pause in a planned $14 billion arms sale

President Donald Trump sowed uncertainty in ‌Taipei by saying, after meeting China’s President Xi Jinping ‌this ⁠month, that he was undecided on whether to approve ⁠the package.

On Thursday (May 21, 2026), acting U.S. Navy Secretary Hung Cao told a Senate Appropriations Defence Subcommittee hearing that there was a pause on arms sales to ​Taiwan to make sure ‌the U.S. had the munitions needed for the Operation Epic Fury attack on Iran.

The source familiar with the matter noted that Mr. Trump has said he would decide on the ‌Taiwan arms sales soon. “These sales take years to ​process and are unrelated to Operation Epic Fury,” the source said, referring to the war the U.S. and ⁠Israel launched in February. “The United States military has more than enough munitions, ammo, and stockpiles to serve all of President Trump’s ‌strategic goals and beyond.”

The U.S. is bound by the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, and has said since Mr. Trump met Mr. Xi that its policy toward Taiwan remains unchanged.

A White House official told Reuters that, as Mr. Trump has said, he will decide in a fairly short time regarding a new Taiwan arms package, ​and noted the $11 billion package already approved in December. “In his first term, President Trump approved more arms ⁠sales to Taiwan than any other President in history,” the official added.

Taiwan’s ⁠government said on Friday (May 22, 2026) it had not received any information about U.S. arms sales delays. China has repeatedly called ‌for the U.S. to stop arms sales. Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, saying only the Taiwanese people can ​decide their future.

It is perhaps the prevailing impulse of our times: leaders seeking a semblance of stability even as differences and tensions endure. There are no significant breakthroughs, certainly no resolution of conflicts, but there is an unmistakable desire to say: “Things are okay. Ish.”

U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to China last week showed that yet again. Taiwan, for one, remains a sensitive issue. Chinese President Xi Jinping told the visiting U.S. President that relations could descend to “clashes and conflicts” if the Taiwan question, which he described as “the most important issue in China-U.S. relations”, was not managed properly, according to the Chinese readout of the talks.

Meanwhile, Mr. Trump maintained that the U.S. and China “settled a lot of problems” . Following a grand ceremonial reception and state banquet on the first day of his visit, Mr. Trump was on Friday (May 15, 2026) hosted by Mr. Xi in the Chinese leadership’s expansive Zhongnanhai compound, where the two leaders walked and drank tea, our China Correspondent Ananth Krishnan wrote from Beijing. “We’ve settled a lot of different problems that other people wouldn’t have been able to solve,” Mr. Trump said in his opening remarks, before their private talks. “The relationship is a very strong one.”

Later, speaking to the media speaking aboard Air Force One on the way back to the U.S., Mr. Trump said: “President Xi and I talked a lot about Taiwan…. He’s against very much what they’re doing. We talked about Taiwan and Iran a lot. I think we have a very good understanding on both. On Taiwan, he does not want to see a fight for independence. I heard him out, I did not make a comment on it. I have a lot of respect for him.” While world accuses the U.S. or triggering and backing more than one ongoing war, he added: “The last thing we need right now is a war that’s 9,500 miles away”. Read Ananth Krishnan’s report.

How far can this tentative truce and performative stability go? As The Hindu’s editorial noted: “Mr. Xi offered a new label for ties, calling for “a constructive relationship of strategic stability” for the remaining years of Mr. Trump’s term and beyond. If both agree on the need for some stability, their priorities appear to differ. Mr. Xi told Mr. Trump that Taiwan was the most important issue in the relationship, which could descend into conflict if not properly managed. The U.S. stance on Taiwan remains unchanged, which includes substantial arms sales.” Meanwhile, “Standing up to U.S. pressure, while managing difficult relations with an increasingly confident China, will be two key tests of India’s diplomacy in the years to come. Reinforcing India’s strategic autonomy and independence, rather than diluting it, will offer the best path forward,” it contended.

For a comprehensive analysis of why Mr. Trump really visited China amid its war with Iran, and what the key takeaways were, read this piece by Anand V., Assistant Professor of Geopolitics and International Relations at the Manipal Institute of Social Sciences. As he explains, the visit leaves many questions unanswered.

Top 5 stories we are reading this week:

1. Trade, energy, discussions on global conflicts to top agenda for Modi’s Nordic visit, writes Suhasini Haidar

2. Sri Lanka civil war: 17 years later, the imprints remain

3. BRICS members agree on ‘independent’ State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as capital, Kallol Bhattacherjee reports

4. Stuttering Starmer: The Hindu editorial on the Labour leadership crisis

5. Elusive peace:The Hindu editorial on the Russia-Ukraine war

President Donald Trump says that Chinese President Xi Jinping has given him assurances that Beijing would take no action toward its long-stated goal of unifying Taiwan with mainland China while the Republican leader is in office.

Mr. Trump said that the long-contentious issue of Taiwan did not come up in his talks with Mr. Xi on Thursday in South Korea that largely focused on U.S.-China trade tensions. But the U.S. leader expressed certainty that China would not take action on Taiwan, while he’s in office.

“He has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘We would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Mr. Trump said in an excerpt of an interview with the CBS’ programme “60 Minutes” that aired on Sunday (November 2, 2025).

U.S. officials have long been concerned about the possibility of China using military force against Taiwan, the self-ruled island democracy claimed by Beijing as part of its territory.

The 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, which has governed U.S. relations with the island, does not require the U.S. to step in militarily if China invades but makes it American policy to ensure Taiwan has the resources to defend itself and to prevent any unilateral change of status by Beijing.

Asked if he would order U.S. forces to defend Taiwan if China attacked, Mr. Trump demurred. The United States, both Republican and Democratic administrations, have maintained a policy of “strategic ambiguity” on Taiwan — trying not to tip their hands on whether the U.S. would come to the island’s aid in such a scenario.

“You’ll find out if it happens, and he understands the answer to that,” Mr. Trump said of Mr. Xi.

The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The White House also did not provide further details about when Mr. Xi or Chinese officials have conveyed to Mr. Trump that military action on Taiwan was off-the-table for the duration of the Republican’s presidency.

The “60 Minutes” interview was taped on Friday at Mr. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. It marked Mr. Trump’s first appearance on the show since he settled a lawsuit this summer with CBS News over the newsmagazine’s interview with Kamala Harris.

The rest of the interview is scheduled to air later on Sunday.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Sunday (November 2, 2025) that Washington and Beijing would establish military-to-military communications channels, adding that bilateral ties between the countries have “never been better.”

Mr. Hegseth said he spoke with his Chinese counterpart, Admiral Dong Jun, late on Saturday (November 1) on the sidelines of a regional security meeting and that they agreed that “peace, stability and good relations are the best path for our two great and strong countries.”

His remarks posted on X came hours after he urged Southeast Asian nations to stand firm and strengthen their maritime forces to counter China’s increasingly “destabilising” actions in the South China Sea.

“China’s sweeping territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea fly in the face of their commitments to resolve disputes peacefully,” Mr. Hegseth said at a meeting with his counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Saturday (November 1).

“We seek peace. We do not seek conflict. But we must ensure that China is not seeking to dominate you or anybody else,” he added.

The South China Sea remains one of Asia’s most volatile flashpoints. Beijing claims almost the entire region, while ASEAN members the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei also claim ownership of coastal areas and features. The Philippines, a key U.S. ally, has had frequent clashes with China’s maritime fleet.

Also Read: ​Chinese check: On the détente in the U.S.-China trade war

Manila has repeatedly urged a stronger regional response, but ASEAN has traditionally sought to balance caution with economic ties to Beijing, the region’s largest trading partner.

Mr. Hegseth said on X he also spoke with President Donald Trump and they agreed “the relationship between the U.S. and China has never been better.” Trump’s meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea earlier this week “set the tone for everlasting peace and success for the U.S. and China,” added Mr. Hegseth, who left Malaysia on Sunday (November 2) for Vietnam.

The contrasting messages — a sharp warning at the ASEAN meeting followed by conciliatory language online — underscored Washington’s effort to balance deterrence with diplomacy amid rising tensions with Beijing.

“This is damage control. More importantly, it reflects two different currents in U.S. relations with China — one that sees China as a threat and another a possible partner,” said Southeast Asian political analyst Bridget Welsh.

In his meeting on Saturday (November 1), Mr. Hegseth criticised Beijing’s recent declaration of the Scarborough Shoal — seized from the Philippines in 2012 — as a “nature reserve.” He told the meeting it was “yet another attempt to coerce new and expanded territorial and maritime claims at your expense.”

He urged ASEAN to hasten the conclusion of a long-delayed Code of Conduct being negotiated with China to govern behaviour in the sea. He also proposed developing shared maritime surveillance and rapid-response systems to deter provocation. A “shared maritime domain awareness” network, he said, would ensure that any member facing “aggression and provocation is not alone.”

He also welcomed plans for an ASEAN-U.S. maritime exercise in December to strengthen regional coordination and uphold freedom of navigation.

China rejects U.S. criticism of its maritime conduct, accusing Washington of interfering in regional affairs and provoking tensions through its military presence. Chinese officials say their patrols and construction activities are lawful and aimed at maintaining security in what they consider Chinese territory.

Chinese officials on Saturday (November 1) slammed the Philippines for being a “troublemaker” after Manila staged naval and air drills with the U.S., Australia and New Zealand in the South China Sea. The two-day exercise that ended on Friday (October 31) was the 12th that the Philippines says it has carried out with partner nations since last year to protect its rights in the disputed waters.

Tian Junli, spokesperson of China’s People’s Liberation Army Southern Theater Command, said the exercise seriously undermined regional peace and stability. “It further proves that the Philippines is the troublemaker in the South China Sea issue and a saboteur of regional stability,” he said.

“China will review matters related to TikTok’s technology exports and intellectual property licensing in accordance with the law,” a Chinese commentary added

China on Wednesday (September 17, 2025) called the framework deal reached in Madrid to switch short-video app TikTok to U.S.-controlled ownership a “win-win” and said it would review TikTok’s technology exports and intellectual property licensing, in a state media editorial.

Investors on both sides of the Pacific are now waiting for a call scheduled for Friday (September 19, 2025) between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in which the agreement should be confirmed.

Progress over the popular social media app – which counts 170 million U.S. users – is seen as key to facilitating further talks in the coming months as the world’s two largest economies chart a path beyond their current tariff truce.

Reuters has reported that the deal, transferring TikTok’s U.S. assets to U.S. owners from China’s Bytedance, is similar to an agreement worked out earlier this year, but which was shelved after Mr. Trump announced steep tariffs on Chinese goods.

“China reached the relevant consensus with the United States on the TikTok issue because it is based on the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation,” the official People’s Daily said in a commentary.

The article was signed “Zhong Sheng” or “Voice of China”, a term the paper of the governing Communist Party uses to express views on foreign policy.

“China will review matters related to TikTok’s technology exports and intellectual property licensing in accordance with the law,” the commentary added.

After meeting with Chinese negotiators in Madrid earlier this week, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said a September 17 deadline that could have disrupted the app in the U.S. could be extended by 90 days to allow the deal to be finalised, without giving any further details.