US President Donald Trump offered to sell arms to Beijing during Chinese President Xi Jinping's recent visit to Washington, according to US Ambassador to China David Perdue. In an interview with Fox News aired on Sunday, Perdue said Trump raised the possibility of arms sales to China as a way to address Beijing's concerns over US weapons supplies to Taiwan.
China has long objected to US arms sales to Taiwan, which it considers part of its territory. The self-ruled island has a democratically elected government, and Washington is legally bound under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act to provide it with defensive weapons. Perdue said the issue was discussed again when Xi visited the United States last week.
"President Trump continues to say, 'Hey, we sell arms to other people around the world.' He actually asked President Xi would he like to buy some at one point," Perdue said in the interview.
The ambassador added that the two leaders have ongoing conversations about other sales. "There are continuing conversations about other sales, (Trump) and President Xi talk about that every time they get together," Perdue said, stressing that the US position on Taiwan has not changed.
Taiwan arms sales remain a flashpoint
Washington approved an $11.1 billion (€9.7 billion) arms package for Taiwan in December, which Perdue described as "more arms to Taiwan than any other president since 1979." Beijing has repeatedly warned that Taiwan's pursuit of independence, whether through reliance on the United States or by military means, is a dead end.
During his Washington trip, Xi reiterated his warning that Trump should show "prudence" over Taiwan and went further, urging the United States to explicitly oppose Taiwan independence. The summit, which also covered trade and other issues, was closely watched in Europe, as European leaders monitor the US-China dynamic for its global implications.
Trump's suggestion in May that an upcoming arms package to Taipei could be used as a negotiating chip with China raised concerns that Taiwan's security might be traded away. Perdue's latest comments appear to confirm that the president is willing to use arms sales as a bargaining tool.
The offer to sell weapons to China, if taken seriously, would mark a significant shift in US policy, which has traditionally treated China as a strategic competitor. However, analysts note that Beijing is unlikely to purchase US arms, given its own domestic defense industry and its opposition to US military support for Taiwan.
The Taiwan issue remains a central point of friction in US-China relations, and European capitals are watching closely, as any escalation could have global economic and security consequences. The Washington summit concluded with a show of unity, but the underlying tensions over Taiwan persist.
Perdue's remarks come as the Trump administration continues to navigate a complex relationship with Beijing, balancing trade negotiations with security concerns. The ambassador's comments suggest that arms sales remain a key element of that balancing act.
