US President 
Donald Trump said he will speak directly with Taiwan's 
Lai Ching-te about a pending arms package, a step that would be the first sitting US–Taiwan presidential conversation since Washington switched recognition to Beijing in 1979. "I'll speak to him. I speak to everybody," Trump told reporters Wednesday, adding "we'll work on that, the Taiwan problem." Lai, in remarks reported by Hong Kong Free Press on Thursday, said he would be "happy" to take the call and that "China is the disruptor of peace and stability."
What is on the agenda? A reported $14bn arms package, including anti-drone equipment and air-defence missile systems, the BBC reported. The Japan Times tied the planned call to that same arms decision, noting Trump described Taiwan as a "problem" to work on with Beijing. Trump said last week, returning from his Beijing summit, that he would decide on the package "over the next fairly short period."
How has Beijing responded? A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said Thursday that China "firmly opposes" official US-Taiwan exchanges and any arms sales to the island, urging Washington to "stop sending wrong signals to the separatist forces in Taiwan." The Financial Times, cited by the BBC, reported that Beijing is holding up a planned visit by Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby pending the arms-package decision.
What is the historical baseline? The last direct contact came in 2016, when president-elect Trump accepted a call from then-Taiwanese president 
Tsai Ing-wen, angering Beijing, the Taipei Times reported. Lai's government has since insisted that US policy on Taiwan has not changed and that Trump made no commitments to China on arms sales during the summit.
Figures referenced: Donald Trump, Lai Ching-te, Xi Jinping, Tsai Ing-wen. — JudgeMarket.
