There are no signs that the US president is about to phone Lai Ching-te and upset the fragile stability with Beijing, sources say
4-MIN READ4-MINKhushboo Razdanin Washington,Nayan SethandDewey Simin BeijingPublished: 11:00pm, 18 Jun 2026Updated: 11:02pm, 18 Jun 2026US President Donald Trump is not expected to have a phone call with Taiwanese leader Lai Ching-te any time soon, despite saying earlier that he would be open to speaking with the person “running” the island.Two people familiar with the matter said there had been no movement towards arranging such a conversation, which was reliant on the American leader’s willingness to take the initiative.
The call was the first direct contact of its kind since 1979 and Beijing responded by lodging a formal diplomatic protest and criticising the call as a “small trick” by Taiwan.
The apparent restraint this time around goes beyond high-level contacts. Multiple sources suggested that no new US arms-sale announcements for Taiwan were likely in the near term, either. However, some packages are expected to be announced or approved afterwards.
When asked on Wednesday when a Trump-Lai call could happen, Taiwanese Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said he could not speak for Trump but “we are ready to have a call at any time”.
