President Donald Trump reportedly made an unexpected proposal to Chinese President Xi Jinping during Xi’s visit to the White House last week: the possibility of purchasing American-made military equipment.
The claim was revealed Sunday by David Perdue, the US ambassador to China, during a televised interview.
“President Trump keeps saying, ‘We sell arms to countries all over the world.’ At one point, he actually asked President Xi whether he would be interested in buying some,” Perdue said on Fox News. He did not provide further details about how Xi responded.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump suggested that Perdue may have been referring to Taiwan rather than China during the interview.
“To China? You mean Taiwan? I never heard that,” Trump said. “They would probably like to buy it because we make better equipment. Maybe it’s a good idea, but we didn’t discuss it.”
A State Department official told Our News Outlet that existing US law “prohibits arms sales to China.”
Another US official said there are currently no plans to sell weapons to Beijing, despite the ambassador’s comments.
Perdue was also questioned about concerns surrounding military assistance and weapons sales to Taiwan that have reportedly been delayed.
The ambassador said Trump approved $11 billion in arms sales to Taiwan last year and indicated that Washington and Taipei remain in discussions over additional purchases.
“He and President Xi talk about that every time they meet,” Perdue told the Fox News host, referring to Trump’s argument that the United States sells weapons to nations around the globe.
The suggestion that Washington might offer advanced American weaponry to Beijing would represent a dramatic departure from the traditional direction of US foreign and defense policy.
President Donald Trump reportedly presented Chinese leader Xi Jinping with an unusual proposal: the opportunity to buy American military equipment.
“He and President Xi talk about that every time they meet,” Perdue told Fox News, noting Trump’s argument that the United States sells weapons to countries around the world.
Xi Jinping and Donald Trump, accompanied by Chinese first lady Peng Liyuan and US first lady Melania Trump, arrive for a state dinner in the White House East Room on September 24.
For decades, US policymakers have regarded Communist-ruled China as Washington’s most significant strategic competitor and the only global power with the economic strength, diplomatic influence and military capacity to challenge American dominance.
China also has one of the world’s fastest-growing military forces, fueling repeated warnings from administrations of both political parties about the potentially devastating consequences of a confrontation between the two nuclear-armed nations.
Taiwan remains a central flashpoint, with Beijing asserting sovereignty over the island while conducting increasingly assertive operations in the South and East China Seas, areas vital to key US allies.
Trump’s reported sales pitch comes amid longstanding tensions between Washington and Beijing. US officials have accused Chinese defense companies with state support of helping arm or equip some of America’s principal international adversaries.
Beijing has authorized Chinese companies to provide Iran and Russia with sensitive dual-use technology and advanced satellite imagery, while US officials have also alleged covert efforts to transfer lethal weapons.
Those activities have already led the United States to impose sanctions on several Chinese companies.
As America’s historic military dominance in the Asia-Pacific wanes, accelerated by resources being diverted to the war against Iran, the US defense sector is simultaneously buckling under production shortfalls.
The New York Times reports that the White House is currently sitting on a stalled $14 billion arms package for Taiwan.
Though State Department officials crafted the package and congressional leaders signed off on it earlier this year, the crucial shipment has stalled indefinitely within the department.
Senators from both sides of the aisle sent a letter to Trump in May of this year, pleading with him to consider restarting the sales.
Trump shakes hands with China’s President Xi Jinping in the East Room of the White House during a State Dinner
The New York Times reports that the White House is currently sitting on a stalled $14 billion arms package for Taiwan
Beijing has given the green light for domestic companies to supply Iran and Russia with critical dual-use technology and high-grade satellite imagery, alongside covert plans to export lethal weaponry
Adding fuel to the fire, President Trump candidly admitted during a May Fox News interview in Beijing that he was deliberately freezing the Taiwan shipments to keep them in reserve as a high-value ‘negotiating chip’ with Xi Jinping.
With talks back on the calendar, Trump revealed last week that he will sit down with Xi in China during a November regional summit, ahead of a reciprocal visit by the Chinese President to the US in December.
Our News Outlet reached out to the White House for comment.
