US pauses $14bn weapons sale to Taiwan due to Iran war

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. US pauses $14bn weapons sale to Taiwan due to Iran war31 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleKoh EweCQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty ImagesHung Cao has served as the acting secretary of the US Navy since AprilThe US is pausing a $14bn (£10. 4bn) arms sale to Taiwan to ensure it has enough weapons for the Iran war. US acting Navy secretary Hung Cao confirmed this at a Senate hearing on Thursday, days after President Donald Trump appeared non-committal about approving the sale and said he would speak to Taiwan's president about it.

A spokesperson for Taiwan's presidential office told reporters on Friday that they had not received any information about "US adjustments to the arms sale". The sale of US arms to Taiwan has long irked Beijing, which claims the self-governed island as its territory and has not ruled out taking it by force. "Right now we're doing a pause in order to make sure we have the munitions we need for Epic Fury - which we have plenty," Cao said at the hearing on Thursday, using the code name for the US-Israel joint military operation in Iran.

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When asked what he had heard from the Taiwanese about a pause in the weapons sale, Cao said he had "not spoken to the Taiwanese". "We're just making sure we have everything, but then the foreign military sales will continue when the administration deems necessary," Cao later said. US President Donald Trump has yet to confirm that he would give final approval to the package, telling Fox News last week that it was "a very good negotiating chip" with China.

He also told reporters he would "make a determination over the next fairly short period". Those comments came fresh off a presidential summit in Beijing, where Trump held talks with Xi Jinping and the Chinese leader had underscored Taiwan as the most important issue between the US and China. Trump later told reporters that he had discussed US arms sales to Taiwan "in great detail" with Xi - even though according to a 1982 US assurance to Taiwan, the US had pledged not to consult Beijing on the matter.

Trump has also said he would talk directly to Taiwanese leader Lai Ching-te about the sale, which would be a sharp departure from diplomatic tradition and is likely to anger Beijing. US and Taiwanese leaders have not spoken directly for decades, although Trump spoke to Lai's predecessor Tsai Ing-wen when Trump was president-elect. Beijing had lodged vehement opposition last December when the US approved a $11bn (£8.

What Experts Say

2bn) arms sale to Taiwan - one of the largest such packages ever. China's foreign ministry said at the time it would "accelerate the push towards a dangerous and violent situation across the Taiwan Strait". Taiwan's leader Lai Ching-te has emphasised that US arms sales were a "key factor in maintaining regional peace and stability".

Under Lai, Taiwan has significantly ramped up its defence spending in response to growing military pressure from China. Trump told Taiwan not to 'go independent' - but does it want to?

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.