President Donald Trump made an unusual business proposal to Chinese President Xi Jinping during Xi’s visit to the White House last week: the possibility of buying American military equipment.
US Ambassador to China David Perdue disclosed the exchange during a television interview on Sunday.
“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 on Fox News, though he did not provide details about Xi’s response.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office today, Trump said Perdue had confused China with Taiwan during the interview.
“To China? You mean to Taiwan? I never heard of that…. No, they probably like to buy it because we do make better equipment than that. Maybe it’s a good idea. But we didn’t discuss.”
A State Department official told the Daily Mail that current law “prohibits arms sales to China.”
Another US official said there were no plans to sell weapons to China, despite the ambassador’s striking account.
During the interview, Perdue was also questioned about concerns surrounding military aid and weapons sales to Taiwan that have been delayed.
The US ambassador said Trump had approved $11 billion in arms sales to Taiwan last year, while discussions continued over other potential purchases.
“He and President Xi talk about that every time they get together,” Perdue told the Fox News host, adding that Trump had emphasized the US sells arms to countries around the world.
The prospect of the White House offering advanced American weapons to Beijing would represent a dramatic departure from modern US foreign policy.
President Donald Trump made an unusual proposal to Chinese President Xi Jinping: an invitation to purchase American military equipment
“He and President Xi talk about that every time they get together,” Perdue told the Fox News host, saying Trump noted that the US sells arms to countries worldwide
Xi Jinping and Trump, followed 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, Washington’s foreign-policy establishment has regarded Communist-ruled China as the United States’ foremost challenger and the only global power capable of matching its economic strength, diplomatic influence and military reach.
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China has the world’s fastest-growing military, leading administrations from both parties to warn for years about the potentially devastating consequences of a confrontation between the two nuclear-armed powers.
A central concern is Taiwan’s fiercely disputed sovereignty, particularly as Beijing carries out aggressive territorial maneuvers in the South and East China Seas, areas vital to key US allies.
Trump’s unexpected sales pitch comes amid long-standing tensions, with US officials accusing Chinese state-backed defense companies of supporting America’s principal adversaries around the world.
Beijing has authorized Chinese companies to provide Iran and Russia with critical dual-use technology and advanced satellite imagery, as well as pursuing covert efforts to export lethal weapons.
Those activities have already prompted a series of US sanctions against multiple 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.
The Daily Mail reached out to the White House for comment.