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 negotiations with China, sparking alarm and debate over US policy toward the island. Taiwan President Lai Ching-te pushed back, calling US arms sales a vital deterrent to regional conflict. The comments have fueled growing debate in Washington over whether Trump is steering US policy back toward strategic ambiguity.