Taiwan's foreign minister brushed off reports that Beijing pressured Washington to delay a new weapons package, calling it a mind game — a sign of confidence, but also of rising pressure on Taipei.

• Xi Jinping is set to visit the US on September 24 to meet Trump, and Japanese media reported Beijing asked Washington not to approve new Taiwan arms sales first.
• Taiwan's foreign ministry calls this psychological warfare — a story planted so any delay looks like Trump doing Xi a favor.
• The arms package is still moving through Congress anyway, so approval was never likely in the few days left before the meeting.
• Taipei says US policy has not changed and points to the Taiwan Relations Act and the Six Assurances as the backstop.
• Beijing wants the US to help it "manage" Taiwan; Taipei argues it is the US and Taiwan together managing China, with shared interests in the first island chain, non-China supply chains and democratic allies.

Outlook: Taiwan will come up when Trump and Xi meet, but trade, investment and the AI race are likely to dominate, with the arms sale left to clear Congress on its own timetable.