US Balances Taiwan Backing and China Trade Push With Arms Sale

The latest mammoth US arms sale to Taiwan signals that the Trump administration will look to maintain its strong defense ties with the island even as it boosts its trade and economic relationship with China.

The proposed sale grabbed headlines because its potential value — $11 billion — is among the largest ever between the two governments. It drew an angry response from China, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun saying China “strongly opposes and condemns” the package.

Dollar amount aside, the systems announced in Wednesday night’s deal have all been sold to Taiwan before except for an undefined tactical ...