The Trump administration has clarified that it has no plans to sell weapons to China after U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue said President Donald Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping whether Beijing would be interested in buying U.S. arms.
Officials from the Trump administration clarified that such sales are already prohibited by law and confirmed that no offers or plans have been made to Beijing, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.
Trump Defends Taiwan Arms Sale to Xi
The clarification from White House came after U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue, while speaking to Shannon Bream on “Fox News Sunday,” said that President Donald Trump defended a pending U.S. arms sale to Taiwan in discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping by portraying it as one of many arms deals Washington conducts globally. According to Perdue, Trump even jokingly asked whether Xi might be interested in buying U.S. weapons.
Perdue did not provide details about the offer or clarify when it was made. He said U.S. policy toward Taiwan remains unchanged, with Washington opposing both Taiwanese independence and coercion, despite continued Chinese military pressure on the island.
Taiwan Urges Faster US Arms Deliveries
U.S. arms sales have long supported Taiwan’s defense and served as a deterrent to China. While Washington announced more than $11 billion in potential weapons sales to Taiwan in December, Trump has yet to advance a separate $14 billion security funding package, prompting four Senate Republicans to urge the administration to move it forward ahead of his summit with Xi Jinping.
Perdue rejected criticism that Trump was not doing enough for Taiwan, pointing to what he said was a 50% increase in U.S. arms sales to Taiwan compared with any president since 1979. The U.S. intelligence agencies’ annual assessment in March found that China does not plan to invade Taiwan in 2027 and has no fixed reunification timeline.
Meanwhile, Taiwan urged the Trump administration to expedite a delayed weapons package, saying military strength is essential to deterring potential Chinese aggression. Taiwan representative Alexander Yui, in an interview with CBS News Face the Nation, stated that Trump and Xi Jinping gave limited public attention to Taiwan during their Washington summit and that Taiwan was not mentioned in the statements released by either the U.S. or China after the meeting.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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