US President Donald Trump asked Chinese leader Xi Jinping whether Beijing would be interested in buying American weapons, according to Washington's ambassador to China, David Perdue. This revelation was made during an interview with Fox News Sunday, where Perdue discussed Trump's approach to China and continued American weapons sales to Taiwan. The exchange between Trump and Xi took place, but the details of when it occurred, what weapons were discussed, and how Xi responded are not specified.
The request for China to buy US weapons is significant, given that federal restrictions have barred defense exports to China since 1990. These restrictions, which remain in place with limited exceptions and presidential national-interest determinations, have effectively maintained a US arms embargo on Beijing for decades. Despite this, Washington continues to supply Taiwan with weapons, which Beijing considers part of China and views as a violation of its sovereignty.
The US-Taiwan relationship is complex, with the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act stating that the US will make defense articles and services available to the island in quantities deemed necessary for it to maintain a "sufficient self-defense capability." The Trump administration approved an $11 billion package for Taiwan last December, the largest announced to date, and another package worth roughly $14 billion has been on hold for months. Trump has described the stalled package as a "very good negotiating chip."
Perdue defended Trump's record on Taiwan, claiming the president has already authorized substantially more weapons for the island than his predecessors. The ambassador portrayed Trump's question to Xi as characteristic of his deal-making approach rather than evidence that a formal sale was being considered. It is unclear what Washington could realistically offer Beijing that China does not already produce domestically, given that China is self-sufficient across most major conventional weapons categories.
China's industrial capacity, particularly in shipbuilding, is estimated at roughly 230 times that of the United States. This leaves cutting-edge technologies and know-how in areas where Washington still retains an advantage, precisely the capabilities the US treats as highly sensitive and is unlikely to share with its principal strategic rival. The exchange between Trump and Xi took place during one of their two meetings this year, in Beijing in May and during Xi's three-day state visit to Washington last week.
Ahead of Xi's Washington visit, the Chinese Defense Ministry urged the US to exercise "extreme caution" on the issue of Taiwan. The White House's post-summit materials did not announce any decision on the stalled package. Perdue made his remark while discussing Trump's approach to China and Taiwan, highlighting the complexities of the US-China relationship and the delicate balance of power in the region.
The US-China relationship remains tense, with Beijing repeatedly demanding that Washington end military support for Taiwan. The Trump administration's continued supply of weapons to Taiwan has been a point of contention, with China arguing that it destabilizes relations across the Taiwan Strait. The request for China to buy US weapons, although unlikely to be acted upon, highlights the ongoing complexities and challenges in the US-China relationship.
Key points
- US President Donald Trump asked Chinese leader Xi Jinping if Beijing would like to buy American weapons, despite federal restrictions on defense exports to China.
- The US has continued to supply Taiwan with weapons, which Beijing views as a violation of its sovereignty.
- China is self-sufficient across most major conventional weapons categories, making it unclear what Washington could realistically offer Beijing.
