Trump's China Arms Query
Ambassador Says Trump Asked Xi Jinping Whether China Wanted U.S. Weapons
Anonymous
U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue said President Donald Trump had asked Xi Jinping whether China wanted to buy American weapons, but did not say when the question was asked or how Xi responded. The disclosure came amid scrutiny of Trump’s handling of arms sales to Taiwan, including a reported pause in a proposed $14 billion package; Perdue said $11 billion had been approved and that U.S. support for Taiwan had not changed. Security experts warned that even joking about weapons sales to China could unsettle Taiwan and U.S. allies. The White House said the United States had no plan to sell arms to China, and the State Department said U.S. law prohibits such sales.
Key Points
1
The disclosure came as reports said China may have obtained sensitive F-35 fighter-jet parts that had been sent to Hong Kong, though the reason for their presence there was unclear.
2
Perdue defended the administration’s Taiwan record by claiming Trump had approved 50% more arms sales to Taiwan than any president since 1979.
3
The Financial Times reported that Trump’s administration had raised concerns about China providing Iran with assistance, including dual-use technology with military applications—an especially striking backdrop to the reported question about selling weapons to Xi.
4
Former White House Asia adviser Dennis Wilder suggested Trump might have been “yanking President Xi’s chain” to underscore U.S. weapons’ superiority, but warned that even joking about the issue could be dangerous.
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