USA29 September, 20262 min read
Trump Denies Offering Xi Jinping U.S. Weapons, State Department Says No Plan
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Trump denied asking Xi to buy U.S. weapons, countering ambassador's claim that he did. State Department said Washington has no plans to sell weapons to China.
Trump and Perdue Clash
President Donald Trump denied that he offered Chinese President Xi Jinping to buy U.S. weapons, telling reporters at the White House, "I’ve never heard of that," and adding, "We did not discuss it."
“U.S. law prohibits arms sales to China and there is no offer or plan to sell arms to China.”
U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue, speaking to Fox News Channel’s Shannon Bream on "Fox News Sunday," said Trump asked Xi, "would he like to buy some at one point."
Trump said he must ask the ambassador David Perdue about the remarks, while the State Department said, "U.S. law prohibits arms sales to China and there is no offer or plan to sell arms to China."
Trump also suggested the ambassador may have been confusing China and Taiwan, saying, "He may have been talking about Taiwan" and adding, "I think he was probably talking about Taiwan."
Taiwan Arms, One-China
David Perdue said Trump downplayed U.S. arms sales to Taiwan by saying Washington sells arms to other countries, and Perdue added, "He actually asked President Xi, would he like to buy some at one point." The White House said the U.S. has no plans to sell weapons to China, while the State Department told ABC News that "U.S. law prohibits arms sales to China and there is no offer or plan to sell arms to China."
Trump tied the dispute to the One-China policy by saying he must ask Perdue, and he also said, "We do not support independence, nor do we support coercion," referring to the U.S. government’s One-China policy. The Guardian reported that a $14bn arms sales package for Taiwan was waiting for Trump to approve it, after Trump described it as a "very good negotiating chip" in dealings with China.
What Comes Next
The State Department’s denial left the Trump administration’s position on China arms sales centered on the statement that "there is no offer or plan to sell arms to China," even as Trump said, "maybe it’s a good idea" in response to the question of an offer.
Trump’s comments kept attention on Taiwan, where the U.S. is required by law to supply weapons for defense, and the Jakarta Post said the U.S. is required by law to supply Taiwan with weapons for its defense.
The Hill reported that Trump rated his Xi meeting "at 12. Very respectful, very good, great meeting," while it also said Trump confirmed he will meet with Xi two more times before the end of the year, first in Xi’s home country for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in November and at the Group of 20 summit in Miami in December.
The Hill also said Trump warned China there would be "consequences" if it invaded Taiwan, while Trump told CBS News’s Norah O’Donnell, "I don’t want to give away, I can’t give away my secrets."