House Speaker Mike Johnson told a Fox Business interviewer after Chinese President Xi Jinping left Washington that America must talk with Beijing given their status as the planet’s top two economies and major trade partners, while staying alert to theft of U.S. inventions, efforts to sway American opinion, and China’s large military.

Johnson said he would not overinterpret a months-delayed $14 billion Taiwan arms package, attributing it to missile requirements amid Iran-linked fighting in the Middle East. He noted Trump has completed about $40 billion in such sales across two terms, twice the Obama total, and described Taiwan as an essential partner that needs to remain steady and free for U.S. security and economic reasons, with that policy set to continue.