Trump Offers Arms to China Amid Taiwan Funding Pause
President Donald Trump allegedly offered to sell weapons to Chinese leader Xi Jinping during a state visit while pausing a $14 billion arms package for Taiwan.
During a state visit to Washington, Donald Trump allegedly offered to sell American weapons to Chinese President Xi Jinping. U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue disclosed that Trump asked Xi if he would like to buy arms, noting that the U.S. sells weapons to other nations globally. However, the White House and the U.S. Department of State subsequently denied any such offer, stating that U.S. law prohibits arms sales to China following the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.
The diplomatic visit coincided with a pause in a $14 billion arms package for Taiwan. Trump has characterized the deal as a negotiating chip in discussions with Beijing, though Perdue denied that defense needs are being withheld to appease China, citing $11 billion in already approved sales. Senate Republicans have since urged the State and Defense departments to advance the stalled funding to maintain deterrence in the Indo-Pacific.
During the summit, Xi Jinping pressured Trump to explicitly oppose Taiwanese independence, the first public request for the U.S. to alter its decades-old stance. Perdue affirmed that the U.S. continues to oppose both Taiwanese independence and coercion by Beijing. Other discussions included the risks of artificial intelligence, Chinese electric vehicle market access, and assurances from Xi regarding China's policy toward Iran and the Strait of Hormuz.
