US Weapons for China? Trump’s Xi Offer Rattles Taiwan
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New details are still emerging from Donald Trump’s (80) lavish summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping (73) in Washington — and one revelation is particularly explosive: US weapons for China. According to U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue (76), Trump asked the leader of America’s biggest geopolitical rival whether Beijing might be interested in purchasing American military equipment. “President Trump continues to say, ‘Hey, we sell arms to other people around the world,’” Perdue told Fox News. Trump, he added, “actually asked President Xi, would he like to buy some at one point.”
Perdue did not say exactly when Trump made the remark or whether the president was seriously floating future arms sales, provoking Xi or simply joking. However, an actual weapons deal with Beijing would represent a stunning break with decades of U.S. strategy aimed at limiting China’s access to advanced American military technology. Washington currently treats China as its principal long-term military and technological competitor, while both countries compete intensely over advanced chips, artificial intelligence and weapons systems.
Taiwan watches Trump’s China weapons talk
The biggest flashpoint is Taiwan. The democratically governed island faces increasing military pressure from Beijing, which claims Taiwan as its territory and has not ruled out using force to take control. The United States does not formally recognize Taiwan as an independent country, but under the Taiwan Relations Act Washington maintains unofficial relations and provides the island with weapons needed for its self-defense.
That makes Trump’s reported offer particularly sensitive. After his May summit with Xi in Beijing, Trump delayed approval of a separate weapons package for Taiwan worth roughly $14 billion. Trump later described Taiwan arms sales as a “very good negotiating chip” in dealing with China. The package remains stalled, while another approximately $11 billion in arms sales was approved earlier this year.
Perdue nevertheless insisted that Trump remains firmly committed to Taiwan. He described the president as being “as strong on Taiwan as I’ve ever seen anybody” and said Trump and Xi continue discussing U.S. weapons sales to the island. Beijing, meanwhile, has repeatedly demanded that Washington end those sales altogether.
US Weapons for China? Foreign-policy expert questions Trump’s instincts
Political scientist Scott Erb, a professor at the University of Maine at Farmington who specializes in international relations and American foreign policy, is skeptical that Trump’s reported remark reflected a carefully developed strategic proposal.
“I suspect he simply was reacting to a person he praises as a ‘strong leader,’ by trying to get on his good side to foster some kind of deal making,” Erb told America Report. He said Trump appears to rely heavily on his business instincts in encounters with foreign leaders rather than conventional diplomatic preparation.
Erb was even sharper about the possible consequences: “I really don’t think he thinks these things through or even totally understands the consequences of such offers.” His conclusion: “I do not think President Trump understands foreign policy, and that shows in the results of his policy choices.”
Those are Erb’s assessments, not an established fact about Trump’s decision-making. The White House has not publicly said that any actual U.S. weapons sale to China is being negotiated.
F-35 incident adds another explosive dimension
The revelation comes just days after another military-technology scare involving China. Components from an Australian F-35 stealth fighter being shipped to the United States were unexpectedly diverted to Hong Kong. Bloomberg reported that Chinese authorities took possession of potentially sensitive parts, including a cockpit canopy and weapons-bay door. The shipment had been heading to the U.S. for inspection, possible repair or disposal.
The incident immediately raised fears that even damaged or unusable F-35 components could provide clues about American stealth technology. Australian officials, however, have pushed back on the most alarming interpretation and said the parts were not classified as sensitive. The Pentagon and F-35 program have been working to recover the components and investigate how the diversion happened.
That distinction matters. There is currently no public evidence that China successfully extracted classified F-35 technology from the shipment. Still, the episode illustrates precisely why Washington has historically guarded military technology transfers to Beijing so closely.
Trump turns weapons into diplomacy
Trump has long approached international relations through the language of deals, leverage and bargaining power. Taiwan’s pending weapons package has now become part of that negotiating strategy, while Beijing seeks concessions from Washington on arms sales, technology restrictions and trade. Reuters reported before the latest summit that Xi was expected to press Trump personally to curb U.S. arms deliveries to Taiwan.
Against that backdrop, Perdue’s revelation stands out: while Xi was pushing the United States to stop arming Taiwan, Trump apparently asked whether China itself wanted to buy American weapons.
Whether it was a serious proposition, a negotiating tactic or simply a provocative Trump remark remains unclear. For Taiwan, however, the question is far less amusing: Which side will American weapons ultimately strengthen — and how much of Taiwan’s security is now part of Trump’s bargaining with Beijing?
