Trump backs ‘Six Assurances’ to Taiwan but no arms sale timeline, US diplomat says

The top US diplomat for East Asia sought to reassure Taiwan that Washington stood by its “Six Assurances” despite US President Donald Trump’s earlier dismissal of the policy, but offered no timeline for approving a stalled US$14 billion arms package to the self-ruled island.Michael DeSombre, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, told a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Thursday that US policy on Taiwan had not changed, maintaining Washington’s commitment to preserving peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.Pressed on Trump’s discussion with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing last month over Taiwan, DeSombre said Beijing was “constantly talking to us about their desire for us not to sell arms to Taiwan”.