US President Donald Trump asked Chinese leader Xi Jinping whether China would be interested in buying American weapons, the United States' ambassador to Beijing revealed in a television interview on September 28.
"President Trump continues to say, 'Hey, we sell arms to other people around the world,'" Ambassador David Perdue said on Fox News Sunday while discussing Xi's state visit to Washington last week. "He actually asked President Xi, would he like to buy some at one point."
Perdue did not say whether the reported offer came during Xi's recent visit to Washington, during Trump's trip to Beijing in May, or at another time. He also did not mention whether the Chinese leader had responded.
The remark and the Taiwan question
Perdue's comments came as he addressed concerns from lawmakers over a pending US arms sale to Taiwan, the self-governed democracy that Beijing claims as its territory. Asked whether Washington was withholding arms from Taiwan to avoid upsetting Xi after the state visit, Perdue rejected the suggestion, saying Trump "is as strong on Taiwan as I've ever seen anybody" and has sold the island substantial quantities of weapons.
He added that Trump and Xi continued to discuss potential future US arms sales to Taiwan.
The revelation adds another layer to the fallout from last week's Trump-Xi summit in Washington, which yielded limited concrete outcomes — chiefly an agreement to cut tariffs on $60 billion worth of non-sensitive goods and a two-month extension of the broader trade truce through January 10 — while leaving the harder questions on Taiwan, technology and investment unresolved.
Sources: Trump offered to sell arms to China's Xi, U.S. ambassador says — The Japan Times | Trump Asked Xi If China Wanted To Buy US Weapons Amid Taiwan Arms Sale Row: Envoy — ABP Live
"President Trump continues to say, 'Hey, we sell arms to other people around the world,'" Ambassador David Perdue said on Fox News Sunday while discussing Xi's state visit to Washington last week. "He actually asked President Xi, would he like to buy some at one point."
Perdue did not say whether the reported offer came during Xi's recent visit to Washington, during Trump's trip to Beijing in May, or at another time. He also did not mention whether the Chinese leader had responded.
The remark and the Taiwan question
Perdue's comments came as he addressed concerns from lawmakers over a pending US arms sale to Taiwan, the self-governed democracy that Beijing claims as its territory. Asked whether Washington was withholding arms from Taiwan to avoid upsetting Xi after the state visit, Perdue rejected the suggestion, saying Trump "is as strong on Taiwan as I've ever seen anybody" and has sold the island substantial quantities of weapons.
He added that Trump and Xi continued to discuss potential future US arms sales to Taiwan.
The revelation adds another layer to the fallout from last week's Trump-Xi summit in Washington, which yielded limited concrete outcomes — chiefly an agreement to cut tariffs on $60 billion worth of non-sensitive goods and a two-month extension of the broader trade truce through January 10 — while leaving the harder questions on Taiwan, technology and investment unresolved.
Sources: Trump offered to sell arms to China's Xi, U.S. ambassador says — The Japan Times | Trump Asked Xi If China Wanted To Buy US Weapons Amid Taiwan Arms Sale Row: Envoy — ABP Live
