Trump’s Taiwan ‘negotiating chip’ remark sparks alarm over how far he'd shift US-China policy

President Donald Trump suggested that US arms sales to Taiwan could be used as a negotiating chip in broader talks with China, sparking alarm and debate over US policy towards the island. Taiwan President Lai Ching-te pushed back, emphasizing the importance of US arms sales for regional deterrence. The issue has become a sensitive flashpoint in US-China relations.