Trump offered to sell arms to China, US ambassador claims

Trump offered to sell arms to China, US ambassador claims Arms sales to China are prohibited under US law, a state department official said denying the reports - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in President Donald Trump offered to sell weapons to Chinese president Xi Jinping during his state visit last week, the US ambassador to Beijing claimed on Sunday. The lavish trip was Xi’s first to the White House in a decade and discussions between the leaders of the world’s two most powerful economies covered a wide-ranging list of topics, including artificial intelligence and trade. Taiwan had celebrated after the visit ended without any substantial agreement on the self-governed island that China claims as its territory. But during an interview on US foreign policy in Taiwan, ambassador David Perdue claimed that Trump had offered to sell weapons to Xi during his visit. “President Trump continues to say, hey, we sell arms to other people around the world,” Mr Perdue told Fox News on Sunday. “He actually asked President Xi, would he like to buy some at one point.” The Trump administration has kept an $14bn arms sale package to Taiwan in abeyance, which the US leader has called a “very good negotiating chip”. Under the Taiwan Relations Act, the US is obligated to support Taipei with military equipment to defend itself. The White House told the New York Times that the US has no plans to sell arms to China with a state department official adding: “US law prohibits arms sales to China and there is no offer or plan to sell arms to China.” Perdue had previously told CNBC on Friday that there had been no change in policy in regards to Taiwan, including arms sales. Chinese state media reported that Xi had pressed Trump on Taiwan, saying that he hoped the US would “handle the Taiwan question with prudence.” Xi hoped that “the US side will adhere to the correct position of opposing 'Taiwan independence',” according to state media reports. Taiwan's deputy foreign minister Francois Wu suggested Trump had done the right thing for America’s own interests by not bowing to Chinese pressure on the issue. He said that maintaining weapons sales to Taiwan to allow the island to defend itself as well as “allowing Taiwan's semiconductor industry to continue contributing to the world” were “important US interests”. Meanwhile, deputy foreign minister Chen Ming-chi added: “Taiwan faces a severe situation in the Taiwan strait. Even though China’s economy is declining, it continues investing more resources into building military capacity. Under this context, the US very much understands our defence needs.” The Independent has contacted the White House for comment. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments