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

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.

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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 1950s."

"In his first term, President Trump approved more arms sales to Taiwan than any other President in history," the official added. In his second term, President Trump approved more in his first year than all four years under President Biden."

Trump was joined in China by top American tech CEOs, including leading AI executives during the summit, underscoring how the U.S.-China rivalry over artificial intelligence has become both an economic and geopolitical arms race.

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Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said in a Facebook post Sunday that arms purchases from the U.S. are "the most vital deterrent" of regional conflict.

"Long-standing security cooperation and arms sales between Taiwan and the U.S. are grounded in the Taiwan Relations Act," said Lai.  "This serves not only as a testament to the United States' security commitment to Taiwan but also as the most vital deterrent force against actions that undermine regional peace and stability—a role it has fulfilled for decades."

"Taiwan is deeply connected to America's economy, military readiness, and AI futures. So this is not just about Asia, this is about who controls the technologies that will define the next century. For that reason, I think America needs Taiwan, and Taiwan needs America," said Freedom.

Chips produced in Taiwan are used across a wide range of technologies, including consumer electronics, communications systems, and advanced defense applications.

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Major chip designers including Apple, Nvidia, AMD and Qualcomm rely heavily on Taiwan-based contract manufacturing. The U.S. International Trade Administration describes Taiwan as being "dominated by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co" and central to global semiconductor manufacturing.

"The rapid rise of Korea and Taiwan has been due to the long-term megatrend of semiconductors as ‘the new oil’ — the key input to economic activity — combined with the latest price-insensitive boom in AI investment," said Ian Samson, a portfolio manager at Fidelity International to Bloomberg. He added it demonstrates "the oligopolistic nature of leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing."

China has recently increased military pressure around Taiwan through large-scale air and naval activity. 

A Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson posted on X Thursday, that "'Taiwan independence' and cross-Strait peace are as irreconcilable as fire and water. Safeguarding peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is the biggest common denominator between China and the U.S."

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Freedom will be visiting the island, where basketball is very popular, this October to help organize basketball camps for the next generation of athletes.

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"I think my biggest goal during this trip is to document everything and also share with the world. I want people to see what Taiwan truly represents… a free country, vibrant, democratic society that refuses to bow down to intimidation," said Freedom.

Freedom said he wants to do whatever he can to bring attention to what he described as China’s genocide against Uyghurs, as well as the struggles faced by Hong Kongers, Tibetans, Falun Gong practitioners, and, more recently, what he called the harassment of the Taiwanese people.