Donald Trump does not commit to arms sale during China visit.
A year ago, United States-China relations reached one of their lowest points when Donald Trump announced his “Liberation Day” tariffs.
The US president made some concessions when he met his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, a few months later.
And the White House yielded more ground in the run-up to Trump’s visit to Beijing this week.
It suspended a $14bn arms sale to Taiwan, which China claims as its sovereign territory.
But that did not stop Xi from calling Taiwan “the single most important issue” in relations with the US.
Could a dispute over the territory lead to conflict between Beijing and Washington?
Presenter: Mohammed Jamjoom
Guests:
Ali Wyne – Senior research and advocacy adviser for US-China relations, The International Crisis Group
Victor Gao – Vice president, Center for China and Globalization
Wen-Ti Sung – Nonresident fellow, Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub
Published On 15 May 2026
