What Trump's Silence Toward Taiwan Reveals About His China Playbook
Before a single trade tariff or troop movement makes headlines, the clearest signal of how Washington plans to handle China this year is something that isn't happening: a phone call. President Trump appears to be deliberately withholding a conversation with Taiwan's leader and pausing new arms sales as he sets the table for a summit with Xi Jinping. For Taiwan, the message in that silence may matter more than any speech.
Bottom Line
The absence of a Taiwan call and the pause on arms sales aren't oversights -- per the reporting, they're deliberate choreography ahead of a Trump-Xi summit. Whether that reads as savvy diplomacy or a worrying willingness to trade away allied confidence depends on what comes after the handshake. For now, this is a signal worth watching, not a crisis.