Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to cite China's interpretation of the 1982 "August 17 Communique" during his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump to demand that the U.S. stop arms sales to Taiwan.
According to three sources familiar with the pre-summit consultations between the U.S. and Chinese leaders, Beijing may cite its interpretation of the "August 17 Communique" to demand that the U.S. cease arms sales to Taiwan. The 1982 communique states that Washington committed to a policy of not seeking to sell arms to Taiwan for a long period, and that future arms sales to Taiwan would not exceed the level supplied after the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the U.S., and that the U.S. was prepared to gradually reduce its arms sales to Taiwan.
However, at the same time, the Reagan administration also provided Taiwan with policy assurances known as the "Six Assurances." Declassified U.S. government documents indicate that the U.S. emphasized it did not agree to consult Beijing in advance on arms sales to Taiwan due to the signing of the "August 17 Communique" with the People's Republic of China. Furthermore, the U.S. did not agree to set a deadline for the termination of arms sales to Taiwan, nor did it agree to amend the "Taiwan Relations Act."
Additionally, Reagan made an internal presidential memorandum that day, clearly stating that the U.S.'s willingness to reduce arms sales to Taiwan was entirely predicated on the People's Republic of China's continued commitment to resolving cross-strait differences peacefully.
Xi Jinping is expected to visit the U.S. National Archives this Friday (the 25th) and may raise the issue of stopping arms sales to Taiwan with Trump during his visit. Moreover, a source stated that Xi Jinping might emphasize to Trump that Taiwan is the provocateur and the sole source of instability in U.S.-China relations, and that Taiwan is changing the status quo. In exchange, Beijing is willing to assist Washington in pressuring Iran over the Middle East war.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China did not respond to Reuters' request for comment. Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Reuters that Taiwan continues to closely monitor the developments of high-level interactions between the U.S. and China and maintains close and smooth communication with the U.S. side.
In May of this year, Trump made a state visit to the People's Republic of China and held talks with Xi Jinping. Trump later discussed related issues in media interviews and when asked about arms sales to Taiwan on his way back to the U.S. after concluding his visit to China. He stated that the U.S. and China had discussed the matter and that the U.S. would make a decision soon. However, as of now, the new batch of arms sales to Taiwan after Trump's visit to China is still under review by the U.S. and has not yet been formally approved.
