Senior US diplomat says Taiwan arms sale does not hinge on China

The U.S. State Department's top diplomat for East Asia said on Thursday that a pending arms sale notification to Congress for Taiwan does not hinge on

discussions with China, despite that suggestion from President Donald Trump.



Trump has repeatedly sown confusion about a $14 billion weapons package for Taiwan intended to bolster the island's deterrence against Chinese military action, saying in May that he had discussed the issue in a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.



In an interview following his meeting with Xi, Trump called the package a good "bargaining chip" that he was holding in "abeyance," adding that it depended on China.



Those comments, which dismayed officials in Taiwan, were an apparent departure from long-standing U.S. policy known as the "Six Assurances" to Taiwan that such weapons sales would not be negotiated with Beijing.