President Donald Trump described a pending $14 billion arms sale to Taiwan as a "very good negotiating chip" with China in a Fox News interview taped in Beijing on Friday, saying he had not yet approved the deal and was holding it "in abeyance." The package, which includes PAC-3 MSE interceptors and NASAMS air defense missiles, had been ready for Trump's signature since Congress approved it in January.
Trump's remarks came at the close of a two-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, during which Xi warned that Taiwan is "the most important issue" in the bilateral relationship and that mishandling it could lead to "clashes and even conflicts." Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that the two discussed Taiwan arms sales "in great detail."
