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Trump Denies Offering Arms to China
Confirmed
In Short: According to Perdue, Trump had offered to sell arms to China during a summit last week. However, Trump said in the Oval Office on Monday that he did not discuss such a deal with Xi, suggesting he may have been referring to Taiwan instead.
President Trump denied offering to sell weapons to China's President Xi Jinping, countering comments made by U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue.
According to Perdue, Trump had offered to sell arms to China during a summit last week. However, Trump said in the Oval Office on Monday that he did not discuss such a deal with Xi, suggesting he may have been referring to Taiwan instead.
A U.S. official told ABC News that the U.S. government has no plans to sell weapons to China, reiterating that U.S. law strictly prohibits such sales.
The U.S. State Department also clarified that there is no offer or plan to sell arms to China, emphasizing the legal restrictions.
Perdue's comments came amid ongoing tensions over U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, which China claims as its territory. The U.S. paused a $14 billion weapons purchase by Taiwan in May, raising concerns about Taiwan's security.
Experts noted that Trump's transactional approach to foreign policy contrasts with the U.S. government's stance on China as a strategic competitor.
Trump's suggestion to sell arms to China, if true, would have been unprecedented and likely in violation of U.S. law.
The Chinese foreign ministry did not directly address the comments, but stated that China remains committed to maintaining world peace and stability.
Analysts suggested that Trump's proposal, if made, lacked strategic logic given the arms embargo the U.S. has imposed on China since 1989.
The confusion over whether the offer was made to China or Taiwan highlights the complex and often ambiguous nature of U.S. policy towards China and Taiwan.
What this adds
The incident underscores the friction between Trump's mercenary approach to diplomacy and the established U.S. policy framework regarding China.
It remains unclear whether Trump's comments about selling arms to China were made during the summit or in a different context.
Background
Perdue's comments came amid ongoing tensions over U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, which China claims as its territory.
What's confirmed
- "President Trump continues to say, 'Hey, we sell arms to other people around the world,'" Perdue said Sunday during an appearance on Fox News.
What's still developing
- "When they say that China spies on us, I say, 'You’re right, and we spy on them too,' you know. We spy on them too," Trump said earlier this month.
- US arms sales to Taiwan, a self-ruled island which China claims is part of its territory and has threatened to seize by force, have long been a thorny issue between Washington and Beijing.
- US law strictly prohibits arms sales to China and Washington officially identifies Beijing as its primary strategic and economic competitor – so there is no practical policy framework for such a transaction, said Beijing-based analyst Einar Tangen, a senior fellow at the Center for International Governance Innovation.
- “The remark highlights the friction between Trump’s transactional political style and a national security establishment that views China as a systemic rival to be contained,” said Tangen.
Sources
- ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videoslink
- AFPlink
- Al Jazeeralink
- Arabnewslink
- India Todaylink
- Vanguard Newslink
- Washington Examinerlink
- boldnewsonline.comlink
- saudigazette.com.salink
- Radaronlinelink
- WarpBeat — background on US Ambassador Claims Trump Offered to Sell Arms to China link
- MS NOW — video link