Trump Denies Asking Xi to Buy U.S. Arms — SkimNews
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- U.S. Ambassador David Perdue said on Fox News Sunday that Trump asked President Xi Jinping if China would like to purchase U.S. weapons during their recent summit, framing it as Trump treating long-standing arms sales to Taiwan as routine global business.
- Trump publicly contradicted Perdue on Monday, appearing confused and suggesting the ambassador may have confused China with Taiwan, before musing that "maybe it's a good idea" to offer arms to China, while insisting "we didn't discuss it."
- The State Department distanced itself from Perdue's account, stating that "U.S. law prohibits arms sales to China and there is no offer or plan to sell arms to China."
- The U.S. last sold arms to China in the 1980s, and resuming such transfers would be "a shocking policy change," according to Cato Institute analyst Evan Sankey.
- Trump previously described U.S. arms sales to Taiwan as "a very good negotiating chip" with China after a May summit with Xi, after which Washington paused a record-breaking $14 billion weapons package to Taipei.
- At last week's White House summit, Xi pressed Trump to oppose Taiwan independence and the two sides agreed to cut tariffs on $30 billion of goods each, according to Chinese state media and U.S. officials.
Why it matters: The contradiction between Trump, his ambassador, and the State Department exposes internal incoherence on China policy at the exact moment Xi is pressing Trump to oppose Taiwan independence. With law prohibiting arms sales to Beijing and a $14 billion Taiwan package already paused as a "negotiating chip," even an offhand offer signals strategic red lines are subordinate to deal-making.
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