US President Donald Trump said on Monday he would make a decision "very soon" on potential new arms sales to Taiwan, a move that has angered China and heightened geopolitical tensions in the region.
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One as he returned to Washington, Trump said he had spoken with Chinese President Xi Jinping. "I spoke with him. We had a very good conversation and we'll make a decision very soon," he said, ahead of his planned state visit to China in April.
Washington, although it does not officially recognize Taiwan as an independent state, is its most important diplomatic supporter and by far its largest supplier of weapons systems. Beijing considers the island a Chinese province and has repeatedly warned that US arms sales violate the “one China” principle and undermine stability in the region.
The issue of Taiwan's armaments remains one of the most sensitive points in Sino-US relations, with any new decision having immediate diplomatic and strategic consequences.
