New Delhi: US President Donald Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping if China is keen to purchase American-made weapons—a remarkable admission made Sunday by David Perdue, the American envoy to Beijing.
In an interview with Fox News, Perdue said “President Trump continues to say: hey, we sell arms to other people around the world. He actually asked President Xi if he would like to buy some at one point?”
Trump’s offer of weapons sales to Xi is even more remarkable as the US continues to view China as its top systemic rival, whether economically or militarily. The Trump administration has consistently raised the issue of China’s continued dual-use support for Iran and Russia.
It is unclear from Perdue’s admission whether the offer was made during the meeting between Trump and Xi last week, or at any of their earlier meetings. However, the claim comes amidst reports suggesting that Trump has delayed a $14 billion weapons package to Taiwan in an attempt to reduce tensions with China.
The White House said there are “no plans to sell arms to China,” while the State Department highlighted that American law prohibits such sales, as reported by The New York Times.
The US has long recognised the “One China” policy but has maintained strategic ambiguity regarding the defence of Taiwan. While Washington continues to engage with Beijing, it has consistently appealed for no use of force to change the current status quo in the region.
The unification of Taiwan with China has long been one of President Xi’s long-term goals.
The US has continued to support Taiwan with weapons packages, including the $14 billion package unveiled almost a year earlier. However, Trump’s commitment to Taiwan has been repeatedly questioned.
In May, after meeting with Xi, the American President had said that the weapons package is a “good negotiating chip”. The issue of reunification is one of the most sensitive diplomatic positions for Beijing. China has long pressed the US to stop sending weapons to Taiwan, even as Washington has repeatedly assured Taipei of its continued support.
Xi pressed Trump last week during their bilateral meeting to oppose the independence of Taiwan, according to a readout published by the Chinese government news organisation Xinhua.
Perdue in his comments to Fox News also made a further admission: Trump and Xi discussed US arms sales to Taiwan. The six assurances made by the US to Taiwan in 1982, as it continued its thaw with China, included language indicating that Washington will not consult Beijing with regards to arms sales to Taipei.
China’s military continues to expand at a rapid pace. The country remains the key pillar of technological support to both Russia and Iran, at war with Ukraine and the US respectively.
Beijing’s military expansion has worried American allies in the region including Japan and South Korea. China has increased its military activities in the region. For the better part of the last two years, the Chinese Coast Guard has been involved in multiple skirmishes with the Philippine Navy over territorial claims in the South China Sea. The Philippines is another ally of the US in the region.
China has conducted a number of military exercises aimed at Taiwan in the last couple of years. The Trump administration has attempted to define the lack of movement on the $14 billion weapons package as a consideration of its current stockpiles.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio last Wednesday highlighted that it is a matter of understanding whether Washington needs the arms for itself or whether they can be sent to Taiwan. Reports in the American media have indicated that US military stockpiles are running low given its war with Iran and long support to Ukraine, as American defence companies struggle to expand manufacturing capacity to meet current needs.
(Edited by Archishman Ganguly)
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