--- title: "Taiwan confident US arms sales will continue amid China pressure" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/taiwan-confident-us-arms-sales-will-continue-amid-china-pressure" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/taiwan-confident-us-arms-sales-will-continue-amid-china-pressure" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/taiwan-confident-us-arms-sales-will-continue-amid-china-pressure.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/taiwan-confident-us-arms-sales-will-continue-amid-china-pressure" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-09-23T09:46:05.641Z" source_reported: "2026-09-23T09:26:54.040Z" updated: "2026-09-23T10:45:21.965Z" trust_score: 50 critic_score: 60 hype_score: 20 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-09-23T10:35:11.408Z" --- # Taiwan confident US arms sales will continue amid China pressure *Taipei aims to bolster defence budget as Xi Jinping meets Donald Trump in Washington.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 50 of 100, higher is better. Two full reports and 21 digests corroborate the central claims, with specific figures for arms sales provided. - Craft 60 of 100, higher is better. Reporting is clear and holds together, with affected parties quoted and facts separated from comment. - Hype 20 of 100, lower is better. The language used is measured and proportionate, with no sensationalism or manufactured urgency. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Taiwan expects US arms sales to continue, despite China's pressure, as President Xi Jinping meets US President Donald Trump. - China has previously pressed Washington to halt arms sales, leading to a pause on a $14 billion package after a May summit. - Taiwan's military conducted live-fire drills featuring its domestically developed armoured vehicle, The Cheetah. - Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te has pledged to increase the island's defence budget to 5% of GDP by 2030. Taiwan has expressed confidence that United States arms sales to the island will continue, despite pressure from China. This comes as China's President Xi Jinping arrived in Washington to meet with US President Donald Trump. China has previously urged Washington to halt these sales, most notably during a summit between Trump and Xi in Beijing in May. Following that meeting, the US paused the sale of a $14 billion arms package, with Trump describing such sales as a 'very good negotiating chip' with China. Despite China's pressure, the US government and Congress have repeatedly shown support for Taiwan's self-defence capabilities, according to a Taiwanese Defence Ministry spokesperson. The US is legally bound to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself. Washington approved another $11 billion arms package for Taiwan in December. Hours before Xi's arrival in the US, Taiwan's military conducted live-fire drills, showcasing its domestically developed eight-wheeled armoured vehicle, named The Cheetah. ## Disagreement on arms sale figures The Hindu and Washington Top News report that the US paused the sale of a $14 billion package after the May summit. The Hindu also states Washington approved another $11 billion package in December. The Taipei Times digest mentions that US President Donald Trump approved an US$11 billion package. ## What the coverage left out None of the right-rated digests mention the specific figure of $14 billion for the paused arms sale package. None of the right-rated digests mention the specific figure of $11 billion for the arms package approved in December. None of the right-rated digests mention the specific details of The Cheetah armoured vehicle, such as its speed or range. None of the right-rated digests mention the specific target of 5% of GDP for Taiwan's defence budget by 2030. ## Who covered it Shares of the 21 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 48% (10) - Centre: 42% (9) - Right: 10% (2) 4 of 25 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-09-23T10:35:11.408Z. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 8 times; 1 check found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-09-23T12:15:22.606Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - Left-rated reports led on Taiwan's confidence that US arms sales would continue despite China's pressure as Xi Jinping arrived to meet Donald Trump. These reports noted China's previous calls to halt sales and the US pause on a $14 billion package after a May summit. They also mentioned Trump's description of arms sales as a 'negotiating chip'. Several left-rated digests highlighted Taiwan's military live-fire drills featuring The Cheetah armoured vehicle and President Lai Ching-te's pledge to increase the defence budget to 5% of GDP by 2030. The Hindu, a full report, included statements from a Taiwanese Defence Ministry spokesperson about maintaining close contact with the US to push forward arms procurement deals and noted the US legal obligation to provide Taiwan with defence means. ### Centre - Centre-rated reports focused on Taiwan's expectation that US arms sales would continue despite China's pressure during the Xi-Trump meeting. These reports mentioned China's prior attempts to halt sales and the pause on a $14 billion package. Digests from this side also included details about Taiwan's military drills with The Cheetah vehicle and the planned increase in Taiwan's defence budget. Reuters, a full report, stated that Taiwan would maintain close contact with the US to promote the implementation of arms sales as planned, according to a defence ministry official. ### Right - Right-rated reports led on Taiwan's confidence that US arms sales would continue despite the meeting between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump. India Today's digest stated this confidence underscores Taipei's push for stronger defence ties and greater self-reliance under Chinese pressure. The Straits Times digest reported Taiwan would maintain close contact with the US to promote planned arms sales amid tensions with China. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - mixed: 1 - high: 10 - unknown: 4 - veryHigh: 10 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [bworldonline.com](https://bworldonline.com/world/2026/09/23/780787/taiwan-to-maintain-close-contact-with-us-on-arms-sales) — Taiwan to maintain ‘close contact’ with US on arms sales - [The Hindu](https://thehindu.com/news/international/taiwan-watches-xi-trump-meeting-closely-hopes-us-arms-sales-continue/article71499129.ece) — Taiwan watches Xi-Trump meeting closely, hopes US arms sales continue - [India Today](https://indiatoday.in/world/story/us-arms-sales-taiwan-continue-despite-xi-trump-washington-talks-ptag-3000933-2026-09-23) — Taiwan confident of US arms sales despite Xi-Trump Washington talks - [Aktuality.sk](https://aktuality.sk/clanok/Xu7Jqfy/taiwan-chce-pokracovat-v-nakupoch-zbrani-od-usa-si-bude-tlacit-na-trumpa) — Taiwan Wants to Continue Buying Weapons From the US. Will Pressure Trump - [WBAL](https://wbal.com/taiwan-is-watching-closely-as-xi-and-trump-meet-and-hopes-us-will-keep-up-its-arms-sales) — Taiwan is watching closely as Xi and Trump meet and hopes US will keep - [Washington Top News](https://wtop.com/world/2026/09/taiwan-is-watching-closely-as-xi-and-trump-meet-and-hopes-us-will-keep-up-its-arms-sales) — Taiwan is watching closely as Xi and Trump meet and hopes US will keep up its arms sales – WTOP News - [The Toronto Star](https://thestar.com/news/world/united-states/taiwan-is-watching-closely-as-xi-and-trump-meet-and-hopes-us-will-keep-up-its-arms-sales/article_57b7f4b3-baec-5473-a7ff-f252157c7164.html) — Taiwan is watching closely as Xi and Trump meet and hopes US will keep up its arms sales - [The Seattle Times](https://seattletimes.com/business/taiwan-is-watching-closely-as-xi-and-trump-meet-and-hopes-us-will-keep-up-its-arms-sales) — Taiwan is watching closely as Xi and Trump meet and hopes US will keep up its arms sales - [Audacy](https://audacy.com/1010wins/news/politics/taiwan-military-drills-us-arms-sales-a6763308f8d63f3e569145e00595e9f2) — Taiwan is watching closely as Xi and Trump meet and hopes US will keep up its arms sales - [Oskaloosa Herald](https://oskaloosa.com/news/national_news/taiwan-is-watching-closely-as-xi-and-trump-meet-and-hopes-us-will-keep-up/article_a3c98534-9468-5228-9dab-83efeb107371.html) — Taiwan is watching closely as Xi and Trump meet and hopes US will keep up its arms sales - [Goshen News](https://goshennews.com/news/national_news/taiwan-is-watching-closely-as-xi-and-trump-meet-and-hopes-us-will-keep-up/article_eb1a92fe-bad7-540d-8405-7f8873bcc7f0.html) — Taiwan is watching closely as Xi and Trump meet and hopes US will keep up its arms sales - [abc News](https://abcnews.com/International/wireStory/taiwan-watching-closely-xi-trump-meet-hopes-us-136675213) — Taiwan watching closely as Xi and Trump meet and hopes US will keep up its arms sales - [WKMG](https://clickorlando.com/news/politics/2026/09/23/taiwan-is-watching-closely-as-xi-and-trump-meet-and-hopes-us-will-keep-up-its-arms-sales) — Taiwan is watching closely as Xi and Trump meet and hopes US will keep up its arms sales - [News 4 JAX](https://news4jax.com/news/politics/2026/09/23/taiwan-is-watching-closely-as-xi-and-trump-meet-and-hopes-us-will-keep-up-its-arms-sales) — Taiwan is watching closely as Xi and Trump meet and hopes US will keep up its arms sales - [KXL](https://kxl.com/taiwan-is-watching-closely-as-xi-and-trump-meet-and-hopes-us-will-keep-up-its-arms-sales) — Taiwan is watching closely as Xi and Trump meet and hopes US will keep up its arms sales - [CNN Brasil](https://cnnbrasil.com.br/internacional/taiwan-encontro-trump-xi) — Know Why Taiwan Cautiously Accompanies Meeting Between Trump and Xi - [Hospodárske Noviny](https://hnonline.sk/svet/96303765-taiwan-chce-postupovat-podla-planu-pri-nakupe-americkych-zbrani) — Taiwan Wants to Proceed with US Arms Purchase Plan - [Jerusalem Post](https://jpost.com/international/article-909376) — Taiwan to maintain 'close contact' with US on arms sales ahead of Trump-Xi meeting - [The Straits Times](https://straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/taiwan-to-maintain-close-contact-with-us-on-arms-sales) — Taiwan to maintain close contact with US on arms sales - [Reuters](https://reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/taiwan-maintain-close-contact-with-us-arms-sales-2026-09-23) — Taiwan to maintain 'close contact' with US on arms sales - [The Hamilton Spectator](https://thespec.com/business/taiwan-is-watching-closely-as-xi-and-trump-meet-and-hopes-us-will-keep-up-its-arms-sales/article_e7cb3041-469a-5767-af3c-c5233a4da6f2.html) — Taiwan is watching closely as Xi and Trump meet and hopes US will keep up its arms sales - [The Record](https://therecord.com/business/taiwan-is-watching-closely-as-xi-and-trump-meet-and-hopes-us-will-keep-up-its-arms-sales/article_51bfae3a-43de-5a75-bff3-c42a61c9b924.html) — Taiwan is watching closely as Xi and Trump meet and hopes US will keep up its arms sales - [St Catharines Standard](https://stcatharinesstandard.ca/business/taiwan-is-watching-closely-as-xi-and-trump-meet-and-hopes-us-will-keep-up-its-arms-sales/article_17a46493-0f5d-5090-bab4-e7cf66ebfbbd.html) — Taiwan is watching closely as Xi and Trump meet and hopes US will keep up its arms sales - [Winnipeg Free Press](https://winnipegfreepress.com/business/2026/09/23/taiwan-is-watching-closely-as-xi-and-trump-meet-and-hopes-us-will-keep-up-its-arms-sales) — Taiwan is watching closely as Xi and Trump meet and hopes US will keep up its arms sales - [Taipei Times](https://taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2026/09/23/2003864770) — Taiwan to maintain ‘close contact’ with US on arms sales: MND ## Questions **Why is China pressuring the US over arms sales to Taiwan?** China claims Taiwan as its own territory and opposes any arms sales that could bolster Taiwan's ability to defend itself. This pressure was most prominently applied during a summit between Presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump in May. **What is Taiwan doing to bolster its defence?** Taiwan's military conducted live-fire drills featuring its domestically developed armoured vehicle, The Cheetah. Additionally, Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te has pledged to increase the island's defence budget to 5% of its gross domestic product by 2030. **What was the outcome of previous US arms sales discussions?** Following a summit in May, the United States paused the sale of a $14 billion arms package to Taiwan. However, Washington approved another $11 billion package in December. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/taiwan-confident-us-arms-sales-will-continue-amid-china-pressure. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Taiwan confident US arms sales will continue amid China pressure", https://mediabias.news/politics/taiwan-confident-us-arms-sales-will-continue-amid-china-pressure