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US Ambassador to China David Perdue said President Donald Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping whether he would like to buy US weapons, a remark that drew new attention to private White House talks and to US arms sales to Taiwan.
US Ambassador to China David Perdue said President Donald Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping whether he would like to buy weapons from the United States.
Perdue made the remark during an interview on Sunday with Shannon Bream on Fox News Channel's Fox News Sunday. The interview came days after Trump hosted Xi for a state visit in Washington. Perdue said Trump raised the prospect of arms sales from the United States to its ascendant geopolitical rival. Such an offer, if consummated, would upend generations of US policy toward China and Taiwan.
It could also expose US technology to a potential foe. Perdue did not specify when the offer was made. China has pressed Washington to halt arms sales to Taiwan, most prominently during a previous summit in May between Trump and Xi in Beijing. After that meeting, the United States paused the sale of a record-breaking US$14-billion package to Taiwan.
Trump described arms sales to Taiwan as a very good negotiating chip with China at that time. In their private talks at the White House last week, Xi pressed Trump to oppose Taiwan independence, according to Chinese state media. In Beijing, China's foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun did not confirm Perdue's remarks when asked about the matter on Monday.
Guo told reporters that China has always strengthened its national defense capabilities based on its needs and is committed to maintaining world peace and stability. Perdue said Sunday that Trump was downplaying longstanding US arms sales to Taiwan by couching them as just one of many sales Washington makes around the world. He even asked Xi if he would be in the market for US weaponry.
Bream had cited concerns from Republican and Democratic lawmakers over delayed aid packages and weapons orders to Taiwan, the self-ruled democracy that seeks to defend itself from China's threat to invade the island. Bream asked if the United States is denying arms to Taiwan to appease the Chinese president, who visited Trump last week. Perdue pushed back on that suggestion. Perdue stated that Trump is as strong on Taiwan as I have ever seen anybody.
He added that Trump has sold Taiwan plenty of weapons. Perdue also said Trump and Xi continue to talk about future US weapons sales to Taiwan. But President Trump continues to say, Hey, we sell arms to other people around the world, Perdue said. He actually asked President Xi, would he like to buy some, at one point.
The United States is bound by its own laws to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself. While not recognizing Taiwan as a country, the US is the island's strongest informal backer and arms provider. But multiple US leaders have left ambiguous whether they would commit military force to defend the US ally should China invade. Perdue's comments on Sunday brought new attention to the behind-the-scenes discussions between Trump and Xi.
US Support and Military Ambiguity
They also highlighted the unusual nature of Trump asking Xi directly about purchasing US arms. The US remains Taiwan's strongest informal backer and arms provider even without formal diplomatic recognition. US law requires providing Taiwan with the means to defend itself. The ambiguity over military force remains a central issue in US policy toward the island.
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CTVNews:Trump asked China’s president if he wanted to buy US arms, ambassador saysThis story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
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