U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue stated on Sunday that President Donald Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping during a state visit whether China would like to buy U.S. weapons, drawing sharp criticism from foreign policy analysts and swift pushback from the State Department regarding longstanding arms sale prohibitions.
Ambassador David Perdue Reveals Trump’s Remark on Fox News
The extraordinary disclosure emerged on Sunday during an interview on Fox News Sunday, where U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue discussed bilateral discussions that took place during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Washington last week. Perdue explained that Trump justified pending military sales to other international partners by raising the prospect directly with Beijing’s leader.
“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.”
David Perdue, U.S. Ambassador to China, via Fox News
The comments followed a summit spanning Wednesday through Friday in Washington, during which Trump and Xi held private talks. It was not clear when Trump made the offer, nor how such an offer could be consummated. Responding to the topic during a Monday briefing in Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun refrained from validating Perdue’s statements, instead emphasizing to journalists that China consistently builds up its national defense strength according to its own requirements and remains dedicated to preserving global peace and stability.
The Stalemate Over Taiwan Arms and Strategic Ambiguity
The ambassador’s disclosure intersected with ongoing political tension surrounding U.S. military assistance to Taiwan. A strict American embargo on weapons shipments to China has been in place ever since Beijing carried out its violent suppression of pro-democracy demonstrators at Tiananmen Square during June 1989. Conversely, over the course of many decades, the United States has continually provided weaponry to the self-ruling democratic island of Taiwan to assist its defense against a potential assault by Beijing, which categorizes Taiwan as a renegade territory and has refused to rule out using military force to regain control.
However, the White House has delayed approval of a $14 billion arms sales package for the island, and four Republican senators sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio seeking an explanation for the holdup. Expressing deep apprehension in their correspondence, the legislators noted that the current circumstances surrounding Taiwan combined with Trump’s self-described ties to Xi create grave doubts regarding the reliability of American security pledges to vital partners and allies across Asia and the rest of the world. During a previous meeting in Beijing in May, Trump described the arms sales package to Taiwan as a very good negotiating chip
in dealings with China.
Ahead of the summit, Taiwanese deputy foreign minister Chen Ming-chi spoke of the severe military threat China posed, telling reporters in Taipei that Taiwan faces a severe situation in the Taiwan strait while China continues investing more resources into building military capacity. During their Washington meeting last week, Xi urged Trump to oppose Taiwan independence,
according to a readout from the official Chinese news agency Xinhua.
State Department Denial and Expert Reaction to the Disclosure
Following Perdue’s television appearance, the administration moved quickly to distance itself from the remarks. The White House informed the New York Times that the US had no plans to sell arms to China, while a State Department spokesperson stated, U.S. law prohibits arms sales to China and there is no offer or plan to sell arms to China.
Earlier in the week, Perdue had mentioned to CNBC on Friday that Trump’s approach to Taiwan—including military sales—remained unchanged, and he subsequently defended Trump on Fox News on Sunday by arguing that Trump is as strong on Taiwan as I've ever seen anybody
and has sold more weapons to Taiwan than any other president since 1979.
Foreign policy analysts and human rights advocates reacted with immediate concern to the ambassador’s revelation. Benedict Rogers, co-founder of Hong Kong Watch, said online, If the Ambassador is telling the truth, then this is insane.
Ryan Hass, a scholar on China for the Brookings Institution, added that Trump’s offer to China will be unsettling to American partners at the pointy edge of China's spear,
noting online that the disclosure puts to rest any ambiguity about whether President Trump views China as a security threat.