Trump Floated Arms Sales to China Amid Taiwan Tensions, Envoy Reveals

• The proposal came in response to friction over U.S. weapons sales to Taiwan.
• Beijing views Taiwan as its territory, making arms transfers a persistent flashpoint.

Washington — President Donald Trump suggested selling arms to China during discussions with President Xi Jinping, U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue revealed in a Fox News interview broadcast Sunday. The offer was framed as a response to Chinese concerns over continued American weapons sales to Taiwan.

China claims the self-governing island as its own territory, and U.S. military support for Taipei has long been a major irritant in bilateral relations. Under the Taiwan Relations Act, the United States is legally obligated to provide Taiwan with defensive weapons.

Perdue said the subject resurfaced during Xi’s visit to 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 stated. “There are continuing conversations about other sales; they talk about that every time they get together,” he added, insisting the overall U.S. position remains unchanged.

In June, Beijing warned Taipei that pursuing independence “by relying on the United States or through military means is a dead end.” Last December, the Trump administration approved an $11.1 billion arms package for Taiwan, which Perdue described as the largest such sale since 1979.

During his Washington trip, Xi urged Trump to exercise “prudence” on Taiwan and pressed the U.S. to explicitly oppose the island’s independence. In May, Trump floated the idea of using a future arms package to Taipei as a bargaining chip with Beijing, sparking concerns that Taiwan’s security could be traded away in broader negotiations.

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