WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump sought to ease Chinese concerns over a pending U.S. arms sale to Taiwan by portraying it as one of many weapons deals Washington conducts worldwide, according to his ambassador to China. Trump even asked Chinese President Xi Jinping at one point whether China might be interested in buying American arms, Ambassador David Perdue said Sunday.
Perdue said Trump had raised the possibility of selling U.S. weapons to China, an extraordinary proposal that, if pursued, would mark a dramatic shift in decades of American policy toward Beijing and Taiwan. Such a deal could also expose sensitive U.S. military technology to a potential adversary. Perdue made the comments during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday” with Shannon Bream, several days after Trump welcomed Xi to Washington for a state visit. He did not say when the exchange took place.
Bream had pointed to concerns from lawmakers in both parties about delays involving military aid and weapons orders for Taiwan, the self-governing democracy that faces the threat of a Chinese invasion. She asked whether the United States was withholding support to avoid angering Xi, who visited Trump the previous week.
Perdue rejected that argument, saying Trump was “as strong on Taiwan as I’ve ever seen anybody” and had already approved substantial arms sales to the island. He added that Trump and Xi remain in discussions about possible future U.S. 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.”
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U.S. law requires Washington to help Taiwan maintain the ability to defend itself. Although the United States does not formally recognize Taiwan as an independent country, it remains the island’s most important unofficial supporter and primary arms supplier. Successive U.S. presidents, however, have maintained uncertainty over whether American forces would directly defend Taiwan if China launched an invasion.
Beijing has repeatedly urged Washington to end weapons sales to Taiwan, including during an earlier meeting between Trump and Xi in May in Beijing. Following that summit, the United States suspended a record $14 billion arms package. Trump later called weapons sales to Taiwan a “very good negotiating chip” in talks with China.
During private discussions at the White House last week, Xi urged Trump to oppose Taiwan independence, according to Chinese state media.
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