US Ambassador to China David Perdue has said President Donald Trump once asked Chinese President Xi Jinping whether Beijing would be interested in buying American weapons during their recent discussions.
Perdue made the disclosure in a television interview while discussing the long-running dispute between Washington and Beijing over US arms sales to Taiwan.
According to the ambassador, Trump raised the issue while explaining to Xi that the United States sells weapons to countries around the world.
“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 said the two leaders continue to discuss potential arms sales whenever they meet, while maintaining that the broader US position has not changed.
The comments came against the backdrop of Washington’s military support for Taiwan, which China considers part of its territory and has opposed US weapons sales to.
Under US law, Washington is required to provide Taiwan with weapons and defence-related support, despite the absence of formal diplomatic relations between the United States and the island.
However, the ambassador’s comments quickly prompted clarification from the US government. The State Department said US law prohibits arms sales to China and that there was no offer or plan to sell weapons to Beijing.
White House officials also said there were no plans for the United States to sell arms to China, creating a distinction between Perdue’s account of Trump asking Xi whether he wanted to buy weapons and an actual arms-sale proposal.
China’s Foreign Ministry did not directly confirm or deny Perdue’s account when asked about it. Instead, it said Beijing has consistently developed its defence capabilities according to its own needs and remains committed to world peace and stability.
The issue of US arms sales to Taiwan has remained a sensitive subject in US-China relations. Washington approved an $11.1 billion arms package for Taiwan in December, which Perdue described as more arms than any previous US president had sold to Taiwan since 1979.
At the same time, a separate $14 billion weapons purchase by Taiwan was put on hold in May. Trump had described that package as a “very good negotiating chip” in discussions with China.
During Xi’s latest visit to Washington, the Chinese president again urged Trump to exercise caution over Taiwan and called on the United States to explicitly oppose Taiwan independence.
Beijing has repeatedly warned Taiwan against pursuing independence with US support or through military means, while Washington has continued to maintain its longstanding policy regarding Taiwan’s defence.
Perdue also said that discussions between Trump and Xi over future weapons sales remain ongoing, although the US government has stated that there is currently no plan to sell arms to China.
The two leaders are expected to meet again at the APEC summit in Shenzhen in November and at the G20 forum at Trump’s Doral resort in Miami in December.
Source: AFP.
