Ambassador Alexander Yui, the Taiwanese Representative to the United States, remained optimistic on Sunday about the American arms sale to Taiwan in the face of its delay.
President Donald Trump brought a renewed focus on U.S.-Taiwan policy this past week as he flew to Beijing to visit Chinese President Xi Jinping. Despite efforts from a group of U.S. Senators to urge Trump to announce the sale of weapons to Taiwan ahead of his trip to China, Trump both went on and left the trip without making a commitment. However, Yui did not waver in his confidence in the sale on Sunday.
“The United States government has been consistent throughout all administrations since 1979 in providing arms to Taiwan, according to the Taiwan Relations Act, which is selling arms commensurate to the threat that Taiwan receives,” Yui said on CBS’s Face the Nation.
The U.S. had provided arms assistance to Taiwan for decades, including under Trump’s first tenure as president. The second Trump administration approved an $11 billion arms sale to Taiwan in December 2025. However, Trump has not yet signed off on a proposed $14 billion package that Congress has supported.
“Past administrations, including in President Trump’s first term, made considerable amounts of sales, including the F-16 Block 70s. And also, in his second administration, last year he made two sales to Taiwan also, again, the last one also a very considerable amount of money on arms sales,” Yui continued.
The $14 billion that Trump has yet to approve would provide defense for Taiwan in the event of an attack, which has been of concern to Taiwan’s allies in the U.S. due to recent escalations in tensions between China and Taiwan. After his meetings with Xi, Trump said he “will be making decisions” on the arms sale.
“We discussed the Taiwan, the whole thing with the arms sales. It was in great detail, actually. And I will be making decisions,” Trump said this past week.
TRUMP LEAVES CHINA WITHOUT MAKING A ‘DETERMINATION’ ON TAIWAN ARMS SALE
Yui told the outlet that although Trump has not yet approved the sale, he has “been very clear in saying that he did not agree on anything that the Chinese side” either.
White House officials also told the Washington Examiner ahead of Trump’s meetings with Xi that “there has been no change in U.S. policy with regards to Taiwan.”
