Rubio: Taiwan Arms Sales Not Tied to Any Xi Visit to the US

According to a State Department press release, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during ASEAN-related meetings in Manila on July 23 that arms sales to Taiwan were not connected to a possible U.S. visit by Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Rubio also reiterated that Washington’s policy toward Taiwan remains unchanged.

On July 22, Rubio travelled to Manila to attend the East Asia Summit and the ASEAN Regional Forum, which focuses on regional security issues. The following day, he sat down with Japan’s NHK for an interview at the Philippine International Convention Center.

NHK correspondent Tak Togawa asked Rubio whether Washington would hold off on approving a new arms package for Taiwan ahead of Xi Jinping’s anticipated September visit to the United States. According to a State Department transcript, Rubio said he did not believe the proposed arms sale and Xi’s possible visit were connected.

He pointed out that the United States approved its largest-ever single arms sale to Taiwan last December, and that, as with any arms sale, the U.S. must first ensure that its own military equipment requirements are met.

Rubio said the United States and China, as the world’s two largest economies and nuclear-armed powers, must maintain open lines of communication. With China’s military growing stronger and the United States retaining the world’s most powerful armed forces, he said the two countries should manage their relationship carefully and cooperate where possible.

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Rubio said Washington wants an Indo-Pacific marked by peace, stability, and prosperity rather than conflict. He added that the United States would continue engaging Beijing while carefully managing the broader bilateral relationship.

He acknowledged that the two countries continue to have differences in certain areas, particularly over trade and freedom of navigation. However, he said both sides must discuss and manage these major disagreements to ensure that they do not escalate into conflict.

Trump visited China in May and met with Xi Jinping. Following the talks, he said a decision on a proposed US$14 billion arms package for Taiwan would be made soon. Rubio has since said the package remains under review.

US opposes Chinese coast guard operations near Taiwan

Separately, during his visit to Manila, Rubio also held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Speaking to reporters afterward, Rubio said the United States had made it clear during the meeting that it opposes China’s deployment of Coast Guard vessels into waters surrounding Taiwan, arguing that such actions run counter to the spirit of maintaining strategic stability between the United States and China.

Rubio also said that the United States will never accept any country’s control over international waters. He emphasized that the U.S. will continue to sail through international waters, uphold its commitment to freedom of navigation, and fulfill its security obligations to treaty allies such as the Philippines. He noted that the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea remain areas of significant disagreement between the United States and China, and that any conflict involving the two countries could have severe consequences for the global economy. Therefore, he said, such differences must be managed carefully to prevent escalation.

According to data provided by Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration, Chinese government vessels were detected east of the Taiwan Strait median line 55 times in June, up from 30 in May—an increase of 83 percent. Including waters around Taiwan’s offshore islands, authorities recorded 263 Chinese government-vessel detections in June, compared with 200 the previous month.

Coast Guard officials said Beijing has used a variety of vessels—including China Coast Guard ships, maritime patrol vessels, maritime safety administration ships, rescue vessels, research ships, and ocean survey vessels—under the pretext of carrying out law enforcement or scientific activities to harass Taiwan’s eastern and surrounding waters. They described the strategy as “fake law enforcement, real expansion of jurisdiction.”

Rubio: China’s actions in the South China Sea are ‘disturbing’

Rubio not only expressed concern over Beijing’s threats to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, but also described China’s actions in the South China Sea as “disturbing.”

According to Reuters, China and the Philippines exchanged strong diplomatic protests during the ASEAN Plus Three Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on July 22 following a confrontation near Second Thomas Shoal (Ren’ai Reef) in the South China Sea on July 20. The Philippine military accused the China Coast Guard of attacking Philippine naval personnel with wooden sticks during the incident.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi each lodged strong protests with the other side. Lazaro also posted on X that she had once again protested what she described as China’s “unacceptable actions” against Philippine personnel at Second Thomas Shoal, as well as the disturbing footage published by China Daily.

Meanwhile, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement after the meeting that Wang Yi had lodged solemn representations with the Philippine side over what Beijing described as Philippine personnel deliberately ramming Chinese law enforcement vessels.