Trump, Xi Talks Entered Dicey Territory

President Trump's talks with China's Xi Jinping ventured into sensitive territory: arms sales to Taiwan. President Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he and Xi discussed the issue at length, reports Reuters. The very conversation could represent a "fairly dramatic shift," notes Politico, because the US signed a pact in 1982 known as the Six Assurances stipulating that it would not consult with Beijing on arms sales to the island. Trump, however, downplayed the significance of the talk. "Well, I think the 1980s is a long way," he said, per the New York Times. "That's a big, far distance." More:

• Trump also emphasized that it was Xi who brought up the issue. "He talked about that to me, obviously. So what am I going to do, say 'I don't want to talk to you about it because I have an agreement that was signed in 1982? No, we discussed arms sales." He added that they spoke "in great detail, actually."

• Asked directly if the US would defend Taiwan should China attack, Trump declined to answer. "I'm not going to say that," he said. "There's only one person that knows that. You know who it is? Me. I'm the only person. That question was asked to me today by President Xi. I said, 'I don't talk about those things.'"
• The president also told Fox News that "nothing's changed" in regard to US policy on Taiwan, reports the Wall Street Journal.
• Trump is currently deciding whether to greenlight a $14 billion arms sale to Taiwan, on top of an $11 billion sale approved last year, per the Hill. On the plane, he told reporters he was still undecided. "The last thing we need right now is a war that's 9,500 miles away," he said, reports Axios. Xi had warned in his public remarks that US interference over Taiwan could lead to clashes between the two superpowers.