Mr. Hung Cao stated the reason why the US stopped selling weapons to Taiwan

At a hearing before the US Congress on May 21, acting Navy Minister Hung Cao was questioned about the stalled $14 billion arms sale to Taiwan.

He said Washington was only “temporarily suspending” the sale to ensure enough ammunition for the Terror Rage campaign in the Middle East, but affirmed that US forces still had enough weapons reserves. “We are just making sure we have everything. Sales of military equipment to partners will continue when the government deems necessary,” he said.

The US State Department and the Pentagon have not commented on the statement of the acting Secretary of the Navy.

The statement raises further concerns about President Donald Trump’s commitment to support Taiwan.

China always views the island of Taiwan as an inseparable territory and is willing to use any means to unify it. The United States pledges to respect the “One China” principle and does not support Taiwan independence, but has generally avoided publicly declaring opposition to the island’s independence.

According to the Taiwan Relations Act signed by President Jimmy Carter after Washington established diplomatic relations with Beijing in 1979, the US must support the defense capabilities of the island of Taiwan. However, Washington still maintains an ambiguous stance on the possibility of its military intervening to support the island if conflict breaks out.

The US President has so far not committed to promoting arms sales to the island. Before his visit to China earlier this month, Mr. Trump confirmed that he would discuss with Chinese President Xi Jinping about the issue of arms sales to Taiwan, unlike Washington’s previous stance that they did not need to consult Beijing on this issue.

At the end of the visit, Mr. Trump announced that he had not made any commitments to Mr. Xi regarding Taiwan, but did not want to announce a decision on the arms sale.

Responding to reporters after leaving Beijing, President Trump confirmed that President Xi had raised the issue of the US selling weapons to Taiwan. However, he said he did not commit to any direction and refused to confirm whether the US would defend Taiwan if the island was attacked.