Trump offered to sell weapons to China during Xi's visit, US envoy says

US Ambassador to China David Perdue said in a Fox News interview aired Sunday that President Donald Trump offered to sell weapons to China during President Xi Jinping's visit to Washington last week. The offer came as a response to Beijing's long-standing objections to US arms sales to Taiwan.

According to Perdue, Trump pointed out that the United States sells arms to many countries around the world and directly asked Xi whether he would be interested in buying some. Perdue said the two leaders discuss potential arms deals every time they meet, but that Washington's overall position has not shifted.

A persistent flashpoint

China regards Taiwan as part of its own territory, while the United States is legally obligated under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act to supply the democratically governed island with weapons for its defence. The issue has long been a source of tension between the two powers.

In June, China warned Taiwan that pursuing independence through reliance on the United States or military means would lead nowhere. In December, Washington approved an $11.1 billion (about €9.7 billion) arms package for Taiwan, which Perdue described as the largest such sale by any US president since 1979.

During his Washington visit, Xi again urged Trump to exercise caution on Taiwan and went further, calling on the US to explicitly oppose Taiwanese independence. In May, Trump had suggested that an upcoming arms package for Taipei could serve as a bargaining chip with Beijing, prompting concern that Taiwan's security could be used as leverage in negotiations.