Donald Trump disputed US Ambassador to China David Perdue's account that he asked Chinese President Xi Jinping whether China wanted to buy US weapons, suggesting Perdue may have meant Taiwan.
Trump later said selling US weapons to China “maybe” could be a good idea, while the State Department said US law prohibits such arms sales and that there was no offer or plan to sell weapons to China.
The dispute comes amid continued US arms sales to Taiwan and broader efforts by Trump and Xi to manage tensions between Washington and Beijing.
US President Donald Trump has disputed his ambassador to China's account that he asked Chinese President Xi Jinping whether Beijing wanted to buy weapons from the United States, saying the ambassador may have been referring to Taiwan instead. The comments came after Ambassador David Perdue described the possibility of US arms sales to China while discussing Washington's weapons support for Taiwan, AP reported.
What Did Trump Say About Arms Sales To China?
Trump rejected the suggestion that he had offered to sell weapons to China during his recent meeting with Xi, according to The Associated Press. When questioned about Perdue's remarks, Trump suggested that the ambassador had probably been referring to Taiwan. But then Trump said “maybe it’s a good idea” to make such an offer to China.
Perdue, speaking with Shannon Bream on Fox News Channel’s “Fox News Sunday” several days after the summit, did not say when the offer was made. However, if such a proposal were to be carried out, it would represent a major departure from decades of US policy towards China and Taiwan and could potentially expose American technology to a country regarded as a strategic adversary.
The issue arose after Perdue discussed US arms sales to Taiwan and appeared to suggest that Trump had raised the possibility of selling weapons to China as well. Trump later said that selling weapons to China could potentially be a good idea, but the State Department clarified that US law prohibits arms sales to China and that no such offer had been made.
The conflicting accounts have drawn attention because Washington has long maintained restrictions on military sales to Beijing, while continuing to provide weapons to Taiwan.
What Is The US Position On Taiwan And China?
The dispute comes against the backdrop of longstanding tensions between Washington, Beijing and Taiwan.
China considers Taiwan part of its territory and has repeatedly opposed US arms sales to the self-governed island. Beijing has also urged Washington to stop supplying weapons to Taiwan.
The United States, meanwhile, has continued to approve arms sales to Taiwan, which Washington regards as part of its longstanding security relationship with the island. Taiwan has been closely watching whether the Trump administration will maintain those arms sales amid its efforts to improve relations with Beijing.
The latest controversy followed Trump's meeting with Xi during the Chinese president's state visit to Washington. The two leaders have been discussing trade, artificial intelligence, Taiwan and other issues in an effort to manage tensions between the world's two largest economies.
