By Patricia Zengerle
WASHINGTON, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Four of US President Donald Trump's fellow Republicans called on his administration on Wednesday to release more than $15 billion in stalled national security assistance for Taiwan, as he prepared to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping for a three-day visit to Washington.
US Senators Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the former Senate majority leader, John Cornyn of Texas, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Thom Tillis of North Carolina wrote to Secretary
of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth expressing concern about the funds.
The letter cites the State Department's failure to move ahead with $300 million in foreign military financing Congress appropriated for Taiwan, the Defense Department's failure to obligate $1 billion and the administration's decision to withhold approval for a $14 billion package of foreign military sales to the island.
"We are concerned by President Trump's description of Taiwan as 'a very good negotiating chip' in engagements with Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party," the letter said.
"It is difficult to imagine how the United States might credibly project influence deterrence in the Indo-Pacific if the price of keeping up diplomatic appearances is denying our partners key deterrent capabilities," the letter said.
The State and Defense departments did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter.
Xi is expected to press Trump to halt Taiwan arms sales altogether under a 1982 joint statement during his visit to Washington, sources briefed on the matter told Reuters.
China regularly describes the issue of Taiwan, which Beijing views as its own territory, as its most sensitive and important diplomatic issue, and has repeatedly called for arms sales to stop.
The Trump administration in December approved an $11 billion arms package to Taiwan, the largest ever. However, a second package, worth some $14 billion, has been on hold for months.
After a May summit in Beijing with Xi, Trump said he was holding it in abeyance and described it as a "very good negotiating chip."
Trump's fellow Republicans in Congress rarely question his administration's actions publicly. Three of the senators who signed Wednesday's letter — McConnell, Cornyn and Tillis — are leaving the Senate at the end of this year, with only Murkowski remaining.
(Reporting by Patricia ZengerleEditing by Bill Berkrot)
