Rubio: US Will Not Consult China on Arms Sales to Taiwan, $14 Billion Sale Not Paused

(CNA Washington, 3rd) Amidst growing concerns from US lawmakers over arms sales to Taiwan and the Six Assurances, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated at a congressional hearing today that the United States will not consult China regarding arms sales to Taiwan. He clarified that the $14 billion arms sale package to Taiwan is currently under review, involving many different factors, and is not "paused."

President Donald Trump visited China in mid-May and met with Chinese President Xi Jinping. After the meeting, Trump said he discussed arms sales to Taiwan with Xi, raising questions about whether this violated the Six Assurances to Taiwan.

Rubio appeared before the House Foreign Affairs Committee and a Senate Appropriations subpanel on the State Department budget. Several lawmakers raised concerns about arms sales to Taiwan and the Six Assurances.

Responding at the Senate hearing, Rubio said the US does not consult China on arms sales to Taiwan, "which is consistent with our long-standing and unchanged policy."

He noted that China's dissatisfaction with US arms sales to Taiwan is not only expressed verbally but also through provocative actions, including sending various military aircraft across the median line of the Taiwan Strait multiple times.

Regarding the pending $14 billion arms sale to Taiwan, Rubio described it as a large package that "has implications for our defense industrial base and the direction of future production lines." He said the US must balance these factors with other considerations. The sale is currently under internal review at the Department of War and is not "paused," but rather under continuous review.

Additionally, at the House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, Rubio noted that the Trump 2.0 administration approved $11 billion in arms sales to Taiwan last December, the largest single arms sale package to Taiwan in US history, to which China reacted strongly.

Rubio emphasized that the US does not consult China on arms sales to Taiwan. "We know their position, and they keep talking about it," he said, adding that China's opposition to these sales is not news.

He stated that the $14 billion arms sale package remains under review, "which is not unusual."

Rubio also said that defending Taiwan is crucial and reiterated that US policy towards Taiwan has not changed.

The US and China signed the August 17 Communiqué in 1982 regarding arms sales to Taiwan. To mitigate the impact on Taiwan, then-President Ronald Reagan tasked then-American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Taipei Office Director James Lilley and others to present the Six Assurances to then-President Chiang Ching-kuo. These assurances include that the US "has not agreed to consult with the People's Republic of China on the issue of arms sales to Taiwan." (Editor: Tien Jui-hua) 1150604