Trump signaled he may put U.S. weapons sales to Taiwan on the table in talks with Xi Jinping, which is bad news for Taiwan and good news for Beijing.

• Trump said Xi wants the U.S. to stop selling weapons to Taiwan, and he plans to discuss it directly with him.
• He praised Xi as "a great gentleman" who runs China "with a pretty iron fist," signaling a warm tone going into the meeting.
• Trump noted Japan and other regional countries still strongly back Taiwan, which complicates any pullback.
• His only stated friction with Xi remains COVID; everything else he framed as friendly.

Outlook: Taiwan arms sales are now a live bargaining chip in U.S.-China talks, raising the risk of a deal that weakens Taiwan's defense pipeline.