SCMP: US Weighing Delay of $14B Taiwan Arms Package Until After November APEC, December G20 Summits

The South China Morning Post reported September 19, 2026, citing multiple unnamed sources, that the Trump administration is weighing postponing announcement of the pending $14 billion Taiwan arms package until after the November APEC summit in Shenzhen and a possible Trump-Xi meeting at the December G20 summit in Florida — timed around Xi Jinping's September 23-25 Washington state visit. One source said Trump had at one point considered delaying the decision as far out as late 2028 or January 2029 before facing 'very loud opposition from hawks,' and described the likely outcome as 'a compromise between him, the China hawks and Taiwan's lobbyists.' Chinese officials have privately pressed Washington to hold off on any new Taiwan arms sales ahead of Xi's trip, echoing the message sent before Trump's May Beijing visit. The report follows a September 17 dispute over whether Beijing had explicitly threatened to cancel the summit over the same arms package.