The US has suspended arms sales to Taiwan. The official reason is the need to redirect the weapons to the war with Iran.
This was announced by the acting head of the US Navy Hung Cao at a hearing in Congress, The Guardian reports.
"Weʼll just make sure we have everything we need, and then when the administration deems it necessary, the sales of military equipment abroad will continue," he said at a congressional hearing.
This is an arms package worth approximately $14 billion, which has been awaiting approval from the US President Donald Trump for several months.
When asked by the US Senator Mitch McConnell whether Cao expected the arms sale to Taiwan to be ultimately approved, he replied that the decision would be made by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth.
"Yes, thatʼs whatʼs most concerning," McConnell commented.
At the same time, Taipei states that it has not yet received official notifications about the changes.
Caoʼs statement came just a week after Trump traveled to China and met with Xi Jinping. Beijing has repeatedly opposed Washingtonʼs arms sales to Taiwan. During Trumpʼs visit, Xi issued a scathing statement, saying the United States and China would "clash or even conflict" if the Taiwan issue was "not properly resolved".
Shortly after Trump and Xi Jinping met, some Trump advisers began to fear that China might try to invade Taiwan within the next five years, Axios reported.
Relations between China, Taiwan and the United States
Tensions in the Asia-Pacific region are rising amid Chinaʼs threats to seize Taiwan, a US ally that the ruling Communist Party considers part of its territory.
Beijing has increasingly promised to “reunify” the island with mainland China since 2022. The US supports Taiwan with weapons, but has not explicitly stated whether it will intervene if China attacks.
According to Taiwanʼs Ministry of Defense, Chinese military aircraft enter Taiwanʼs air defense zone more than 245 times a month — five years ago, there were no more than ten such "visits".
In addition, approximately 120 crossings of the median line in the Taiwan Strait are recorded every month. In March 2023, Chinese leader Xi Jinping called on Chinaʼs troops to prepare for war, and on the eve of 2024 said that "reunification" is inevitable. Taiwanʼs Foreign Ministry predicts a possible attack by China in 2027.
In the summer of 2025, Trump refused to approve more than $400 million in military aid to Taiwan because of his desire to negotiate a trade deal with China and meet Xi Jinping in person. But the US later approved a record arms package to Taiwan worth more than $11 billion.
In response, China imposed sanctions on 20 American defense companies and 10 individuals. That same month, the Chinese military conducted combat exercises around Taiwan.
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