Trump-Xi summit: $14 billion Taiwan arms deal hangs over Washington talks

File photo: US president Donald Trump with Chinese premier XI Jinping Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to press US President Donald Trump to halt arms sales to Taiwan when the two leaders meet in Washington this week. Sources have informed Reuters that Beijing is likely to invoke a 1982 US-China agreement that commits Washington to gradually reducing weapons sales to Taipei.The issue is likely to be among the most sensitive points in Xi’s talks with Trump, as Beijing considers Taiwan a core sovereignty issue and has repeatedly demanded an end to US arms sales to the self-governed island.Three sources briefed on US-China discussions told Reuters that Beijing is expected to raise its interpretation of the third of the three US-China joint communiques, signed in 1982.Under the communique, Washington said it intended to gradually reduce its arms sales to Taiwan and did not seek to maintain long-term weapons sales to Taipei.But an accompanying memo by then-US President Ronald Reagan said the US commitment to reduce arms sales was “conditioned absolutely” on China’s continued commitment to resolving differences with Taiwan peacefully.The distinction is significant because China h...