Taiwan thanked the United States for its support and said it remains in close contact with Washington ahead of President Donald Trump's summit with China leader Xi Jinping in Washington. Taipei said it supports efforts to stabilize the region and manage risks from authoritarian expansion, while noting that Washington has repeatedly reaffirmed its support for Taiwan. Xi is expected to press Trump to halt U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, which China claims as its territory and calls a red-line issue. The Trump administration approved an $11 billion arms package for Taiwan in December, described as its largest such package, but a separate package worth about $14 billion has been held up for months. Trump said after meeting Xi in Beijing in May that he was keeping the second package in abeyance and called it a negotiating chip. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said arms transfers must be weighed against broader U.S. military needs because equipment sold to partners is not immediately available to American forces.