By Michael Martina, Yimou Lee and Ben Blanchard WASHINGTON/TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan is exploring buying arms worth billions of dollars from the United States, sources briefed on the matter said, hoping to win support from the new Trump administration as China continues to apply military pressure on the island.

The move comes after meetings in Dubai last week between officials from the Central Bank of Iraq - which last year already banned eight banks from U.S. dollar transactions - and U.S. Treasury and Federal Reserve officials,

DUBAI/BAGHDAD >> Iraq’s central bank will ban five more local banks from engaging in U.S. dollar transactions, a move that comes after meetings with U.S. Treasury officials in efforts to combat money laundering,