US says it has no plans to sell weapons to China — Channel NewsAsia

The United States has said it has no plans to sell weapons to China after US Ambassador to Beijing David Perdue spoke about President Donald Trump’s offer to Chinese leader Xi Jinping to buy American weapons. This was reported by Channel NewsAsia, citing AFP.

White House statement

A US government representative told AFP that Washington does not plan to sell weapons to China. The State Department also told The New York Times that US law prohibits arms sales to China and that there is no proposal or plan for such deliveries.

Perdue said in an interview with Fox News that Trump raised the issue during Xi Jinping’s state visit to the White House last week. According to him, the US president noted that Washington sells weapons to other countries and asked the Chinese leader whether he would like to buy them. The ambassador added that Trump and Xi also discuss other sales during meetings, while the US position has not changed.

The Taiwan issue

US arms sales to Taiwan remain a difficult issue in relations between Washington and Beijing. China considers the island its territory and has threatened to seize it by force. The United States is legally obliged to supply Taiwan with weapons for defence.

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China’s Foreign Ministry did not give a direct answer when asked about Perdue’s comments. It said that China is strengthening its defence capabilities in line with its own needs and seeks to maintain peace and stability in the world. In June, Beijing warned Taiwan that pursuing independence with US support or by military means is a “dead end.”

Deliveries for Taiwan

In December, Washington approved the sale of $11.1 billion worth of weapons to Taiwan. Perdue said this meant supplying Taiwan with more weapons than under any US president since 1979. In May, the United States suspended Taiwan’s purchase of $14 billion worth of weapons; Trump then called it a “very good bargaining chip” in relations with China.

During his visit to Washington, Xi Jinping urged Trump to exercise caution regarding Taiwan and to directly oppose its independence. Trump did not say whether he discussed this issue with the Chinese leader.