Trump asked Xi if China wanted to buy American weapons: US envoy
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Trump asked Xi Jinping if China wanted to buy American weapons, US Ambassador David Perdue said, in remarks tied to ongoing debates over arms sales to Taiwan.
In a Fox News Sunday interview days after President Donald Trump hosted Chinese leader Xi Jinping for a state visit in Washington, Perdue stated: “President Trump continues to say: hey, we sell arms to other people around the world. He actually asked President Xi would he like to buy some at one point?”
Perdue did not specify when the question was posed, whether during the recent summit or an earlier meeting, such as in Beijing in May, and offered no details on Xi’s response.
The comments came as Perdue addressed concerns that the Trump administration had delayed a proposed record $14 billion arms package for Taiwan to avoid upsetting Beijing ahead of the leaders’ meetings.
Perdue rejected suggestions that US policy toward Taiwan had softened, insisting Trump “is as strong on Taiwan as I’ve ever seen anybody.”
He noted that Trump had authorized a record $11.1 billion in arms sales to Taipei last December, more than the total approved under the prior administration over four years, and that discussions on further sales continue.
US policy toward Taiwan remains unchanged, Perdue said, citing the One China policy, the Taiwan Relations Act, the three US-China joint communiqués, and the Six Assurances.
“We don’t support independence and we don’t support coercion,” he added.
China has long opposed US arms sales to the self-ruled island, which Beijing claims as its territory, and Xi has urged the United States to oppose “Taiwan independence.”
The idea of selling American weapons to China would mark a sharp departure from decades of US policy.
Washington has maintained a strict arms embargo on Beijing since 1989, and federal law prohibits such sales.
Following Perdue’s remarks, the White House told The New York Times there were no plans to sell arms to China, while the State Department stated: “US law prohibits arms sales to China and there is no offer or plan to sell arms to China.”
Analysts and lawmakers from both parties have expressed unease over any perception that Taiwan’s security needs might be treated as a bargaining chip in broader US-China talks.
