US President Donald Trump sought to downplay Washington's pending arms sale to Taiwan by telling Chinese President Xi Jinping that the US sells weapons to countries around the world, and even asking whether China would like to buy some, according to US ambassador to China David Perdue.
uncertain
China → seek → Perdue
“President Trump continues to say, hey, we sell arms to other people around the world.
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we → continue → world
He actually asked President Xi, would he like to buy some at one point,” Perdue told Fox News on Sunday.
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Perdue → ask → Sunday
Perdue made the remarks days after Trump hosted Xi for a state visit in Washington.
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Trump → make → Washington
He did not specify when Trump made the comment or provide further details about the exchange.
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Trump → specify → exchange
Perdue was speaking about US policy toward Taiwan, which has been waiting for months for Trump to approve a new arms package worth about $14 billion.
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Trump → speak → package
Fox News host Shannon Bream had raised concerns from Republican and Democratic lawmakers about delays in US weapons orders and aid packages for Taiwan, which is seeking to strengthen its defences against a potential Chinese attack.
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which → raise → attack
Bream asked whether Washington was holding back arms sales to Taiwan to avoid angering Xi.
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Washington → ask → Xi
Perdue rejected that suggestion, saying Trump “is as strong on Taiwan as I've ever seen anybody” and has already approved substantial weapons sales to the island.
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I → reject → island
Earlier, Trump also sought to play down Taiwan as a major point of friction with Beijing, saying the issue did not feature prominently in his latest talks with Xi.
“We didn't talk about Taiwan too much with Xi.
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We → seek → Xi
Right now, it's, you know, fine.
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you → know → ?
It's just moving along.
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It → move → ?
Xi understands very much how I feel,” Trump told reporters.
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Trump → understand → reporters
Trump and Xi met at the White House last week as Washington and Beijing sought to stabilise ties following months of tensions over trade, technology and other geopolitical issues.
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Washington → meet → trade
The summit resulted in an extension of the US-China trade truce, while differences over Taiwan, artificial intelligence and Iran remained.
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differences → result → Taiwan
Taiwan arms package remains pendingTaiwan has been waiting for months for Washington to approve a proposed arms package worth about $14 billion, following an $11 billion weapons deal announced last December.
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Washington → wait → deal
The latest package was put on hold after Trump’s meeting with Xi in Beijing in May.
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package → put → May
Trump has not indicated whether the deal will move forward following their latest summit.
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deal → indicate → summit
He had previously described arms sales to Taiwan as a “very good negotiating chip” in dealings with China.
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He → describe → China
Beijing has repeatedly urged Washington to halt arms sales to Taiwan, which China claims as part of its territory.
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China → urge → territory
Ahead of the latest summit, China had made clear that Taiwan remained a major issue in its talks with Washington.
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remained → make → Washington
According to China’s official news agency Xinhua, Xi urged Trump to “prudently handle the Taiwan question” and called on Washington to oppose Taiwan independence.
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Xi → accord → independence
The White House did not immediately release its own account of the discussion on Taiwan.
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House → release → Taiwan
Earlier, Taiwan deputy foreign minister Chen Ming-chi said Washington “very much” understands the island’s defence requirements and the military pressure it faces from China.
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it → say → China
“Taiwan faces a severe situation in the Taiwan Strait.
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Taiwan → face → Strait
Even though China's economy is declining, it continues investing more resources into building military capacity.
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it → decline → capacity
Under this context, the US very much understands our defence needs,” Chen said.
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Chen → understand → needs
“We do continuously communicate with them, and we believe the US understands the situation we face and our determination on defence investment completely,” he added.
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he → communicate → investment
Chen also said Taiwan had repeatedly received assurances from Washington that its policy toward the island had not changed.
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policy → say → island
Perdue separately told CNBC that there had been no change in Trump’s Taiwan policy, including on arms sales.
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Perdue → tell → sales
US balancing ties with China & TaiwanUnder US law, Washington is required to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself.
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Washington → balance → itself
The US does not formally recognise Taiwan as an independent country but remains its main informal security partner and arms supplier.
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US → recognise → country
At the same time, successive US administrations have left unclear whether Washington would directly intervene militarily if China attacked Taiwan.
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China → leave → Taiwan
Beijing considers Taiwan part of China and opposes US arms sales to the island.
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Taiwan → consider → island
Taiwan rejects China’s sovereignty claims and maintains that its future can be decided only by its people.
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future → reject → people
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