Acting US Navy Secretary Hung Cao confirmed at a Senate hearing that the United States has paused a $14 billion arms sale to Taiwan to ensure sufficient munitions for the Iran war. The announcement came days after President Donald Trump appeared non-committal about the sale following his meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

A spokesperson for Taiwan's presidential office told reporters Friday they had not received any information about US adjustments to the arms sale. The sale of US arms to Taiwan has long angered Beijing, which claims the self-governed island as its territory and has not ruled out taking it by force.

Cao stated at the hearing, using the code name for the US-Israel joint military operation in Iran, 'Right now we're doing a pause in order to make sure we have the munitions we need for Epic Fury.' He added that foreign military sales would continue when the administration deems necessary.

The $14 billion package, which includes Lockheed Martin's PAC-3 air defense missiles and surface-to-air missile systems, has been awaiting Trump's approval for months. Trump told Fox News it was 'a very good negotiating chip' with China and said he would make a determination soon.

Trump also said he would talk directly to Taiwanese leader Lai Ching-te about the sale, a sharp departure from diplomatic tradition that is likely to anger Beijing. US and Taiwanese leaders have not spoken directly for decades. Beijing vehemently opposed a previous $11 billion arms sale to Taiwan in December, warning it would accelerate a dangerous situation across the Taiwan Strait.

Source: www.bbc.com