Trump Asked Xi if China Wanted to Buy US Weapons, Says Ambassador Perdue, but Washington Says No Plan Exists

The US ambassador to China said Trump had raised the idea of arms sales to Xi. Perdue was speaking to Shannon Bream days after Trump hosted Xi for a state visit in Washington.
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He was answering a question about Taiwan. Bream had cited concerns from Republican and Democratic lawmakers over delayed aid packages and weapons orders for Taiwan. In Perdue's telling, Trump plays down US arms sales to Taiwan by describing them as one of many sales Washington makes worldwide. It was in that context that Trump, per Perdue, asked Xi "would he like to buy some."

Perdue, a former Georgia senator, also defended the president's record. He said Trump has approved more arms for Taiwan than any president since 1979, citing an $11.1 billion sale approved in December. He added that Trump and Xi continue to discuss future US weapons sales to Taiwan.

The US has long sold weapons to Taiwan, and Beijing has long objected. The US is required by law to supply Taiwan with weapons for its defence, and China claims the island as its territory. Against that backdrop, suggesting Beijing might buy American arms sounded, to many observers, like a very different kind of conversation.

The timing did not help. Trump has held back a $14 billion Taiwan arms package for several months, rejecting bipartisan calls from Congress to move it forward. The package was paused in May, and Trump has treated it as a bargaining chip in dealings with China, which has raised fears that Taiwan's security could be traded away. Taiwan has urged the administration to speed up the delayed package, saying military strength is essential to deterring China.

Reaction on social media was sharp. Senator Richard Blumenthal called it a bombshell that, even if it never happens, points to a dangerous state of mind. Others questioned how much of a joke, a gambit or something more it was meant to be.

The administration moved quickly to contain the story. The White House told the New York Times it had no plans to sell arms to China, and a State Department spokesperson said US law prohibits it. A strict American embargo on weapons shipments to China has been in place since the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown.

Note what the denials do and don't say. They rule out any offer or plan. They don't say Trump never asked the question, and none of the reporting reviewed here has him denying it. Perdue's account is, so far, the only firsthand description of the exchange.

China's foreign ministry did not answer the question directly on Monday. Beijing has pressed Washington to halt Taiwan arms sales, most prominently at the May summit between Trump and Xi in Beijing.

Xi finished his first formal trip to Washington in 11 years on Friday. It was three days of pageantry that produced few concrete agreements. Trump gave him a rare airport greeting, the leaders held a state dinner and toured the National Archives, and Xi promised pandas for Atlanta. The trade truce was extended by only two months, far shorter than expected, and the two sides agreed to set up an agricultural trade working group.

Taiwan was among the expected topics. Trump had not commented publicly on Taiwan around the summit. Perdue's interview is now the main public glimpse of what was discussed.