Huang Chung-yen, an adviser to Taiwan's presidential National Security Council, said a situation in which the United States announces the cancellation of arms sales to Taiwan after the summit will not occur, responding to speculation that the sales would come up at the talks.

The $14 billion package that has drawn outside attention may not be announced all at once. Washington and Taipei maintain close but low-key contact, but the announcement once expected before the end of September is now seen as unlikely; splitting the total into several smaller packages is considered the more probable route.

From the Chinese side has come speculation that President Xi Jinping will invoke the 1982 August 17 communique during his visit to press Washington to halt arms sales. Taiwan's defense ministry said it continues to coordinate with the United States.

Huang noted that China has a practice of conducting information operations ahead of important meetings. President Trump had earlier said he was not worried by suggestions that approving arms sales could cause the summit to be called off.

An Old Document Called the August 17 Communique

The 1982 communique contains language about gradually reducing American arms sales to Taiwan. Washington has since read that language together with the Taiwan Relations Act, and the scale and nature of sales have shifted from administration to administration. The same document has been read differently by the two sides for more than forty years.

Beijing treats the communique as a commitment Washington must keep. Washington maintains that it judges the character and scale of sales according to conditions in the Taiwan Strait. Taipei presses for steady procurement on the grounds of self-defense capability.

What Splitting an Announcement Means

Breaking a large package into several smaller ones disperses the other side's objections, but it adds uncertainty to procurement schedules and budgeting. Inside Taiwan, calls have continued for scrutiny of items whose delivery dates keep slipping.