US policy on Taiwan remains unchanged: Rubio

Washington, June 2 (SocialNews.XYZ) Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to reassure lawmakers on Tuesday that U.S. policy toward Taiwan remains unchanged, despite concerns raised by President Donald Trump's recent comments that arms sales to Taipei could be used as a negotiating tool in discussions with China.

Appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Rubio said Washington continues to support preserving the status quo across the Taiwan Strait and dismissed suggestions that the administration was backing away from long-standing commitments to the self-governing island.

"There has been no change to U.S. policy towards Taiwan," Rubio told lawmakers. "Our policy on Taiwan is not changing and did not change on this trip."

The issue surfaced repeatedly during the hearing as senators from both parties questioned whether recent U.S.-China diplomacy had altered Washington's approach to Taiwan, one of the most sensitive issues in relations between the world's two largest powers.

Referring to Trump's recent remarks that arms sales to Taiwan were "a very good negotiating chip", Senator Jeff Merkley expressed concern that Beijing could interpret delays in approving additional weapons packages as a weakening of U.S. support for Taiwan's democracy.

Rubio pushed back, pointing instead to what he described as the largest U.S. arms package ever approved for Taiwan.

"I know in December of this year we did approve an arms sale, I think, $11 billion. I think it's the single largest arms sale ever," Rubio said.

He added that the package was larger than total arms sales approved during the Biden administration and said a separate proposed $14 billion package remained under review.

"We just had a massive arms sale," Rubio said. "It was so big and so noticeable that the Chinese became very aggressive about it."

The issue resurfaced later when Senator Chris Coons questioned whether Trump had offered to condition arms sales to Taiwan during meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Rubio declined to discuss private conversations between the two leaders but rejected suggestions that Taiwan had become a bargaining chip.

"When the President says it's a great negotiating thing, what he's really saying is it's because China, as you can imagine, always mentions this," Rubio said. "That in no way is what is holding up our decision-making."

Rubio told lawmakers that Taiwan remains a major source of tension between Washington and Beijing. He described it as strategically important not only because of its location but also because of the broader message its future sends to the region.

Lawmakers noted that Taiwan produces a dominant share of the world's most advanced semiconductor chips, making stability across the Taiwan Strait a matter of global economic importance.

The secretary's comments came as the administration faces growing scrutiny over its China policy following Trump's recent visit to Beijing. Several senators questioned whether Washington had offered concessions to China in exchange for little in return.

Rubio defended the trip as an important effort to maintain communication and strategic stability between the two countries.

Source: IANS