Washington: Taiwan is expected to be one of the most sensitive issues when US President Donald Trump meets Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington this week, with China expected to press the United States to halt arms sales to Taiwan.
Xi is expected to raise the issue during his visit to the United States from September 23 to 25. Chinese officials are likely to point to the 1982 US China Joint Communiqué, under which Washington said it intended to gradually reduce arms sales to Taiwan.
China has also asked the United States to stop deliveries of weapons that Taiwan has already ordered, according to people familiar with discussions between Washington and Beijing. Chinese officials have not publicly confirmed the details of the expected request.
The dispute comes as Trump considers whether to approve a new arms package for Taiwan worth about $14 billion. The package has been awaiting approval for months. Trump previously described the arms sales as a negotiating tool in his dealings with Beijing.
The United States has already approved a separate arms package worth about $11.1 billion. The weapons include HIMARS rocket systems, howitzers, Javelin anti tank missiles and other military equipment.
China regards Taiwan as part of its territory and considers the Taiwan issue a matter of national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Beijing has said it seeks peaceful reunification while retaining the option of using force.
Taiwan's government rejects China's claim and maintains its own political system, military and democratic institutions. Taiwan's leaders have stressed the importance of protecting the island's democratic system while avoiding unnecessary confrontation with China.
The United States does not have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but maintains extensive unofficial relations with Taipei. Under the Taiwan Relations Act, Washington provides Taiwan with defensive equipment and maintains a policy of supporting the island's ability to defend itself.
US policy also recognises Beijing diplomatically while taking no formal position on Taiwan's sovereignty. This framework has allowed Washington to maintain relations with both Beijing and Taipei, but it has also remained a major source of tension between the United States and China.
The disagreement has become more complicated because the two governments interpret earlier agreements differently. China points to the 1982 communiqué and its reference to reducing arms sales to Taiwan. The United States has also referred to assurances given to Taiwan in the same period, including that decisions on arms sales would not be subject to consultation with Beijing.
Taiwan's security situation has remained active in recent days. Taiwan's Defence Ministry said on September 22 that it had detected four Chinese military aircraft, six naval vessels and three official Chinese vessels around Taiwan during the previous 24 hours.
All four aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan's central and southwestern air defence identification zone, according to the ministry. Taiwan said it responded by deploying aircraft, naval vessels and coastal missile systems to monitor the activity.
Taiwan has also been strengthening its own defence preparations. On September 18, its military held exercises involving missiles and attack drones. The drills included anti air, anti ship and anti landing missile systems and marked the first time Taiwan conducted joint combat exercises combining attack drones with conventional weapons.
Beijing describes Taiwan President Lai Ching te as a separatist and does not recognise him as Taiwan's president. Lai's government has continued to reject Beijing's sovereignty claim while maintaining that Taiwan should preserve its democratic system and security.
The roots of the dispute go back decades. Taiwan was under Japanese rule from 1895 until the end of the Second World War. In 1945, it came under the control of the Republic of China government. After the Chinese civil war, the Republic of China government moved to Taiwan in 1949, while Mao Zedong's Communist Party established the People's Republic of China on the mainland.
Since then, Taiwan has developed its own political system, military and democratic institutions, while Beijing has continued to regard the island as part of China.
The United States shifted diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979. Since then, Washington has maintained unofficial relations with Taiwan and continued providing defensive weapons to the island.
The issue now extends beyond China, Taiwan and the United States. On September 21, the United States, Japan and South Korea reaffirmed the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan welcomed the statement, describing international support for stability as important.
For Trump and Xi, the Taiwan question will therefore be part of a much wider effort to manage difficult relations between the world's two largest economies. Trade, technology, artificial intelligence and the war in the Middle East are also expected to feature in their discussions.
Xi's visit begins on September 23, with formal talks with Trump scheduled for September 24. Whether the leaders reach any understanding on Taiwan arms sales remains unclear. For now, the issue continues to illustrate the deep differences between Washington and Beijing over Taiwan's future and the wider security balance in East Asia.