Trump tells Xi US arms sales to Taiwan are routine, envoy says
US President Donald Trump justified a pending American arms sale to Taiwan to Chinese President Xi Jinping by presenting it as one of many such sales Washington makes around the world, according to US Ambassador to China David Perdue. Perdue said Trump even asked Xi if he would like to buy US arms.
Speaking on Fox News Sunday days after Xi's state visit to Washington, Perdue said Trump and Xi continue to discuss future US weapons sales to Taiwan. He did not say when Trump made the remark about selling arms to China.
During the interview, host Shannon Bream referred to concerns from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers over delayed aid packages and weapons orders for Taiwan, the self-ruled democracy, as it seeks to defend itself from China's threat to invade the island. She asked whether the US was holding back support for Taiwan to appease Xi after his visit to Washington last week.
Perdue rejected that suggestion, saying Trump "is as strong on Taiwan as I've ever seen anybody" and had sold it plenty of weapons. He added that Trump and Xi were still discussing future US arms sales to Taiwan. "But President Trump continues to say, Hey, we sell arms to other people around the world," Perdue said. "He actually asked President Xi, would he like to buy some, at one point."
Under US law, Washington is required to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself. While the US does not recognise Taiwan as a country, it remains the island's strongest informal backer and arms supplier. At the same time, several US leaders have kept unclear whether they would use military force to defend Taiwan if China invaded.
China has repeatedly pressed Washington to stop arms sales to Taiwan, including during a summit between Trump and Xi in Beijing in May. After that meeting, the US paused the sale of a record USD 14 billion package, and Trump described arms sales to Taiwan as a "very good negotiating chip" with China. In their private talks at the White House last week, Xi urged Trump to oppose Taiwan independence, according to Chinese state media. Overall, Perdue's remarks highlighted that arms sales to Taiwan remain under discussion even as the issue continues to feature in US-China talks.
