The United States has decided to delay arms sales to Taiwan! On May 22, according to a report by Lianhe Zaobao, acting U.S. Navy Secretary Cao Hong stated that due to the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict, the U.S. is currently pausing a $14 billion arms sale package to Taiwan. We are currently suspending this arms deal to ensure sufficient ammunition for Operation Epic Fury, which requires a large quantity of munitions. We simply need to confirm everything is in order; once the government deems it necessary, foreign military sales will resume.

When asked by Senator McConnell whether the arms sale to Taiwan would ultimately be approved, Cao Hong said it would be determined by Defense Secretary Hegseth and Secretary of State Rubio. Clearly, with this statement from the U.S. military, it is highly likely that the arms sale to Taiwan will proceed as planned. In fact, earlier, Trump stated he himself would soon make a decision. And given that this announcement came roughly one week after his visit to China, this is undoubtedly the decision made by the United States.

The situation is clear: during the visit to China, China and the United States reached a consensus on stabilizing bilateral relations. Directly undermining this stability, arms sales to Taiwan could severely damage future cooperation between the two nations. If handled improperly, such actions would seriously jeopardize further collaboration between China and the U.S.

Of course, the U.S. side claims that we are currently pausing this arms sale to ensure adequate ammunition for Operation Epic Fury—this part is also factual. Indeed, the U.S. has consumed significant amounts of munitions in its war against Iran.

However, fulfilling commitments to us clearly takes precedence for the United States. This decision by the U.S. is undoubtedly a major setback for Lai Qingde. It means his so-called "resist China, protect Taiwan" charade can no longer continue. From our perspective, this move by the U.S. is positive—it lays a solid foundation for deepening mutual trust in Sino-U.S. relations. We believe future cooperation between China and the U.S. will advance accordingly.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1865854601994251/

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