U.S. Ambassador Reveals Trump Pushed Arms Sales to Authoritarian China During Xi Visit
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U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue disclosed to Fox News that President Donald Trump brazenly offered to sell weapons to China while President Xi Jinping visited the United States, highlighting the administration’s reckless approach to global arms proliferation and disregard for human rights in pursuit of profit, even as U.S. arms continue to flow to Taiwan under the Taiwan Relations Act.
U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue told Fox News that President Donald Trump suggested selling weapons to China during Chinese President Xi Jinping's recent visit to the United States. This shocking proposal underscores the Trump administration’s willingness to prioritize arms industry profits over global security and human rights, as Trump asked Xi whether he would be interested in purchasing arms. Perdue noted that the two leaders have repeatedly discussed the topic in their meetings, raising concerns about the normalization of arms deals with authoritarian regimes.
The United States, under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, is obligated to provide defensive weapons to Taiwan, which maintains its own democratically elected government in the face of Beijing’s authoritarian pressure. Washington recently approved an $11.1 billion arms package for Taiwan in December, a sale Perdue described as the largest for any U.S. president since the act's enactment—further fueling regional tensions and the militarization of East Asia.
China, which continues to claim Taiwan as its territory despite the island’s self-governance, has threatened that Taiwan’s pursuit of independence through U.S. support or military means would not succeed. During his trip, Xi urged the United States to oppose any moves toward Taiwanese independence and called for caution in handling the issue. In May, Trump suggested that a future arms package for Taiwan could be used as a bargaining chip in negotiations with China, exposing the administration’s willingness to gamble with the security and self-determination of the Taiwanese people for short-term political gain.