Taiwan’s opposition casts doubt on ‘rock solid’ US ties ahead of Xi-Trump summit

Reports that Taiwanese officials have been asked to scale back visits to Washington have sparked debate over whether the island’s ties with the United States remain as “rock solid” as Taipei has maintained.The New York Times reported on Monday that some Taiwanese officials travelling to the US had been told by Trump administration officials to “curtail their visits to research groups in Washington”.The report came as US President Donald Trump prepared to host Chinese leader Xi Jinping for a summit in Washington on Thursday. Taiwan is expected to feature in their discussions, and Beijing has been pressing Washington to halt or further delay arms sales to the island.Citing Brookings Institution senior fellow Ryan Hass, the report said the move reflected Trump’s preference to ensure Taiwan did not become an “obstacle” to his ambitions in dealing with Beijing.A proposed US$14 billion arms package to Taiwan has been awaiting Trump’s approval for months. After meeting Xi in Beijing in May, Trump described the package as a “very good negotiating chip”.Taiwan’s opposition seized on the developments to question the strength of ties with Washington.Chen I-hsin, communications director for the Kuomintang, the island’s main opposition party, said on Tuesday that the report was a “wake-up call” for Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te’s administration to recognise that US policy towards Taiwan was driven primarily by American interests.