Taiwan warns US about China’s regional ambitions as Trump weighs arms deal
Fox Business correspondent Lydia Hu provides an update on the geopolitical tensions involving Taiwan, spotlighting a crucial warning from Taiwan’s top diplomat, Alexander Yui. As former President Donald Trump deliberates over a proposed $14 billion arms deal for Taiwan, Yui emphasizes the island’s strategic importance as a defensive barrier against China’s broader ambitions. Taiwan’s dominance in semiconductor production, accounting for 90% of the world’s advanced chips, underscores the necessity of continued U.S. support.
In the wake of President Trump’s summit in Beijing with Chinese President Xi Jinping, China has significantly increased its naval presence around Taiwan. According to Taiwan’s National Security Council Secretary General Joseph Wu, over 100 Chinese vessels have been deployed in the waters surrounding the island within just a week following the meeting.
“Our intelligence reveals that the People’s Republic of China has stationed more than 100 ships around the First Island Chain in recent days, shortly after the Beijing summit,” Wu stated on the social media platform X.
Wu further asserted, “In this region, China is the sole disruptor, undermining the status quo and endangering regional peace and stability.”
A graphic shared by Wu shows the substantial deployment of Chinese vessels across the South China Sea, East China Sea, and near Taiwan and the Philippines, illustrating the heightened military activity.
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A Taiwanese graphic showing alleged Chinese ship deployments near Taiwan and the broader Indo-Pacific region. (Taiwan National Security Council)
Wu alerted the world to the ship deployments a little more than a week after Trump left Beijing and just days after Acting U.S. Navy Secretary Hung Cao told U.S. lawmakers that the U.S. was temporarily pausing weapons shipments to Taiwan.
“Right now we’re doing a pause in order to make sure we have the munitions we need for Epic Fury,” Cao testified during a Tuesday hearing of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee.
Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao testifies during the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing titled “The Posture of the Department of the Navy in review of the Defense Authorization Request for FY2027 and the Future Years Defense Program,” in the Dirksen building on Tuesday, May 19, 2026. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
U.S. lawmakers approved a $14 billion weapons package to be sold to Taiwan in January, though Trump has yet to sign off on it.
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Taiwanese officials say they were not alerted to any potential pauses, according to The Associated Press.
Cao’s pause announcement followed the Trump-Xi summit during which Chinese officials made clear that the Taiwan question is China’s biggest issue in diplomatic relations with the United States.
The USS Chung-Hoon observed a Chinese navy ship sharply crossing its path in the Taiwan Strait on June 3, 2023, forcing the American destroyer to slow to avoid a collision during a freedom of navigation transit alongside Canadian frigate HMCS Montreal. (Andre T. Richard/U.S. Navy)
“President Xi stressed to President Trump that the Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-U.S. relations,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said in a statement after the Trump-Xi bilateral meeting.
“If it is handled properly, the bilateral relationship will enjoy overall stability. Otherwise, the two countries will have clashes and even conflicts, putting the entire relationship in great jeopardy,” Ning concluded.
Fox News Digital contacted the White House, a representative for the Taiwanese government and the Chinese Foreign Ministry for additional comment.
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