Trump’s China thaw leaves Taiwan decision looming as ex-NBA star warns island holds key to US AI race

By Fox News · Fox News

President Donald Trump returned from Beijing touting warmer trade ties with Chinese President Xi Jinping, but the summit left unresolved one of the most consequential flashpoints in U.S.-China relations: Taiwan. "Taiwan is the center of the global technology race," former NBA star Enes Kanter Freedom told Fox News Digital in a Zoom interview. "If you want to understand the future of AI dominance, economic power and national security, you have to understand Taiwan." Former Boston Celtics player and outspoken human-rights activist known for his criticism of the Chinese Communist Party, Freedom, said the lack of progress showed Taiwan remains a major unresolved issue at the center of America’s economic and national security competition with China. Freedom noted in his remarks that, "Trump has always understood that communist China is America's biggest long-term geopolitical challenge." "I think President Trump has constantly emphasized that peace is preserved through strength. I believe maintaining stability in the Taiwan Strait requires strong American leadership, strategic clarity, and a credible deterrent that leaves no room for miscalculation for authoritarian regimes," said Freedom. TAIWAN DISPATCHES NAVY, AIR FORCE AFTER CHINA LAUNCHES LIVE-FIRE DRILLS WITH NO WARNING The pending decision comes as Taiwan continues seeking U.S. weapons meant to harden the island against a potential Chinese attack. Trump has not publicly committed to whether to move forward with a new Taiwan arms package while the talks produced no publicly announced breakthrough on Taiwan or other key strategic disputes, making the pending arms decision a closely watched signal for both Beijing and Taipei. A senior White House administration official told Fox News Digital that Trump will make a determination in a fairly short time regarding a new Taiwan arms package and also noted he approved $11.1 billion in arms sales to Taiwan in December 2025, which is "consistent with U.S. policy since the 1…