US President Donald Trump on Monday denied reports that he had offered his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping the purchase of American weapons, following controversial statements made by the US ambassador to Beijing.
Trump confirmed, in press statements, that he had never discussed this issue with the Chinese President, stressing that he had never heard of this matter before, and that he intends to discuss these developments with Ambassador David Perdue.
Ambassador Perdue said, on Sunday, during an interview with Fox News, that Trump indicated to the Chinese President that the United States sells weapons to various countries, adding in response to a question about arms sales to Taiwan that Trump “asked President Xi at some point if he wanted to buy some.”
On the other hand, the Chinese government avoided direct comment on the ambassador’s statements. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Guo Jiaqun, said that his country is working to strengthen its defense capabilities according to its own needs, stressing its commitment to maintaining global peace and stability.
In the same context, the Wall Street Journal quoted US administration officials confirming that there are no plans to sell Chinese weapons, noting that there are legal obstacles preventing this from being done, without specifying whether the alleged offer was raised during Xi’s visit to Washington last week or during previous talks.
It is noteworthy that the file of US arms sales to Taiwan represents one of the most prominent files of the strategic dispute between Washington and Beijing, as China considers the island an integral part of its territory, while the United States continues to provide it with military support.
