No call with Taiwan, no new arms sales: how Trump is preparing to welcome Xi

Former U.S. President Donald Trump appears to be exercising restraint regarding direct engagement with Taiwan, signaling a departure from potential actions that could provoke China. Sources familiar with the matter indicate no progress has been made toward arranging a call between Trump and Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te.

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Two people familiar with the matter said there had been no movement towards arranging such a conversation, which was reliant on the American leader’s willingness to take the initiative.

This apparent caution is attributed to concerns that such a conversation could derail an expected summit between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington this September. It also aims to preserve the fragile detente established between the two leaders in May. Beijing's reaction to the incoming Trump administration in late 2016, when it gave the cold shoulder following a congratulatory call from Taiwan's then-leader Tsai Ing-wen, serves as a precedent for potential diplomatic fallout.

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Three other sources said the US believed that a call with Lai could derail an expected summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington in September and the detente reached between the two presidents in May.

The restraint extends beyond high-level communications. Multiple sources suggest that the U.S. is unlikely to announce any new arms sales to Taiwan in the immediate future. However, it is anticipated that some arms packages may be approved or announced at a later date.

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Beijing gave the incoming Trump administration the cold shoulder in late 2016 when the president-elect took a congratulatory phone call from Taiwan’s then-leader, Tsai Ing-wen.

When asked about the possibility of a Trump-Lai call, Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung stated that while he could not speak for Trump, Taiwan was "ready to have a call at any time." This indicates Taiwan's willingness to engage, contrasting with the apparent U.S. strategy of avoiding direct provocation of Beijing.

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The call was the first direct contact of its kind since 1979 and Beijing responded by lodging a formal diplomatic protest and criticising the call as a “small trick” by Taiwan.