Trump prepares for Beijing summit with Taiwan arms sales and Hong Kong activist Lai on agenda. President Trump announced Monday he will discuss U.S. defense support for Taiwan directly with Chinese leader Xi Jinping this week, despite Beijing's repeated pressure to scale back security commitments to the island. The administration has withheld a record $11 billion weapons package authorized in December ahead of the summit. Trump also plans to press Xi on the release of imprisoned Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai. Taiwan's arms sales remain a major flashpoint in U.S.-China relations, with Beijing warning that attempts to contain China through Taiwan will fail. Experts warn that any apparent U.S. concession on Taiwan could embolden China to take more assertive steps against the democratically governed island, destabilizing the region further.
