TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — China is reportedly delaying a planned visit by the Pentagon’s top policy official to pressure US President Donald Trump to postpone a proposed US$14 billion (NT$442.12 billion) arms sale to Taiwan.
Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby had discussed plans to visit China this summer with Chinese officials, per the Financial Times. However, Beijing has reportedly indicated that it cannot approve the trip until Trump determines how to proceed with the Taiwan weapons package.
The Financial Times reported in February that the Trump administration prepared the US$14 billion package after approving a US$11 billion arms sale to Taiwan last December. The report said Beijing reacted angrily and halted earlier discussions about Colby's visit to China.
Zack Cooper, an Asia security expert at the American Enterprise Institute, told the Financial Times that Beijing would likely use future visits by Colby or Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as leverage to pressure Washington to delay or scale down arms sales to Taiwan. The Pentagon said it would not comment on officials’ possible travel plans.
Bonnie Glaser, managing director of the Indo-Pacific program at the German Marshall Fund, told the Financial Times that a Colby visit could provide an opportunity for Washington to raise concerns over China’s pressure on US allies and partners, nuclear modernization, and cyber and space activities. She added that Colby could also further explain the US defense strategy he helped devise and discuss military applications of AI and crisis communications.
Former senior CIA China expert Dennis Wilder said China understands Trump is unlikely to end arms sales to Taiwan but hopes to delay any large new package until after Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s planned state visit to Washington in late September. Wilder added that the effort was aimed less at testing Trump’s commitment to Taiwan’s defense than at sparing Xi embarrassment.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington said it was “not familiar” with Colby’s situation. However, it stressed Beijing’s firm opposition to US arms sales to Taiwan.
