Washington (United States) (AFP) – The United States said Monday that it has no plans to sell arms to China, after a US envoy stated that President Donald Trump asked Xi Jinping if he would like to buy American weapons. US Ambassador to China David Perdue reported that Trump made the extraordinary offer to sell arms to the rival superpower in response to Chinese concerns over weapons sales to Taiwan.
Trump’s proposal was made during Chinese President Xi’s pomp-filled state visit to the White House last week, Perdue told Fox News. “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 an interview. “There are continuing conversations about other sales; (Trump) and President Xi talk about that every time they get together,” he added, noting that the US position has not changed.
The White House emphasized that no such sales to China were in the pipeline. “The US government has no plans to sell weapons to China,” a US official told AFP. US arms sales to Taiwan, the self-ruled island which China claims as part of its territory and has threatened to seize by force, have long posed a thorny issue between Washington and Beijing. The United States is mandated by law to supply Taiwan, which has a democratically elected president and legislature, with weapons for its defense.
The US State Department stated in a comment to the New York Times that “US law prohibits arms sales to China and there is no offer or plan to sell arms to China.” In response to inquiries about the comments, the Chinese foreign ministry did not directly answer but affirmed that China has “always strengthened its national defense capabilities based on its own needs, and remains committed to maintaining world peace and stability.” Beijing warned Taiwan in June that seeking independence “by relying on the United States or through military means is a dead end.”
Trump has maintained a strategically ambiguous stance over Taiwan, refraining from directly declaring whether the US would come to its aid in the event of a Chinese invasion, while continuing to approve weapons sales. Washington approved an $11.1 billion arms sale to Taiwan in December, which Perdue remarked was “more arms to Taiwan than any other president since 1979.” However, the US paused a $14 billion weapons purchase by Taiwan in May, with Trump referring to it as a “very good negotiating chip” in dealings with China, raising concerns that Taiwan’s security could potentially be compromised.
During his Washington trip, Xi reiterated his warning that Trump should exhibit “prudence” over Taiwan and further urged the United States to explicitly oppose Taiwan independence. Trump has not indicated whether he discussed Taiwan with Xi during the visit, instead highlighting what he describes as his good relationship with the Chinese leader as both countries strive to manage their tensions.
The two leaders have met twice already this year, with Trump visiting Beijing in May. They confirmed plans to meet for a third and fourth time at the APEC summit in Shenzhen, China, in November and the G20 forum at Trump’s Doral resort in Miami in December.
© 2024 AFP
