Trade, Taiwan, and the F-35 IP

Fifth-Generation Stealth and Taiwan Deterrence

Since the Carter administration, the US maintained a policy to supply China with strategic military intellectual property: everything from top-secret antennas and satellites to signal-processors and floating-point chips.

This did not stop during the Trump administration.

The "Missing F-35 Parts" & Today's Arrival of Xi

Recent noise made about the missing "F-35 parts" alludes to a possible revocation of strategic IP, should the upcoming talks with Xi go sideways:

Two Generations of Boosting China's Military to Help Manage Asia

The F-35 "redirection" to China was deliberate - the US has always sought to boost China's military in the "right direction": historically, the US establishment bragged how boosting China's military cheaply pinned-down over 40 divisions of the Soviet Army on the Chinese Border and helped maintain the MAD deterrent after the defeat in Vietnam and the loss of the strategic Cam Ranh bay.

Xi & Reconciliation on Taiwan Arms Sales: F-35 IP For Taiwan Delivery

If Trump allows Xi to keep the F-35 IP, then China can presumably allow Trump to deliver the Taiwanese defense package.

However, should Xi prove intractable in the upcoming talks, then not only will Trump flag the F-35 as a "loss" or even "intelligence coup", but he can further escalate by delivering Taiwan's anticipated arms package and suspending further sharing of strategic military IP.