Trump Offered Arms Deal to China's Xi Jinping, US Ambassador Reveals

US Ambassador to China David Perdue revealed that President Donald Trump offered to sell American weapons to Chinese President Xi Jinping during recent discussions over US arms sales to Taiwan. The offer came as Trump sought to contextualize ongoing weapons transfers to Taiwan, describing them as part of routine global arms sales. The disclosure has raised questions about potential shifts in longstanding US policy on Taiwan and China.

A prominent media figure drew attention to bipartisan congressional unease over delayed arms transfers and defence procurement for Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing regards as part of its territory, and raised the question of whether the administration was withholding weapons deliveries to prevent tensions with Xi following his meeting with Trump the previous week. Perdue disputed that portrayal, contending that Trump had shown greater backing for Taiwan than any other leader he had come across, and had approved substantial weapons deliveries to the territory. Although the United States stops short of formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, it remains the territory's primary source of unofficial political and security support. Over many decades, successive presidents have maintained an intentional ambiguity about whether Washington would send troops to protect Taiwan in the event of a military attack by China. Beijing has repeatedly urged Washington to stop arms transfers to Taiwan, a stance reaffirmed during the Trump-Xi summit held in the Chinese capital in May; following that meeting, the White House suspended a $14 billion weapons package bound for Taiwan, with Trump describing such sales as a negotiating tool in dealings with China. During a private one-on-one meeting at the White House last week, Xi communicated to Trump a stance against any movement toward Taiwan independence, according to state media outlets in China.

Trump Offered Arms Deal to China's Xi Jinping, US Ambassador Reveals

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Trump Offered Arms Deal to China's Xi Jinping, US Ambassador Reveals

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