US Ambassador Says Trump Asked Xi Jinping If China Would Like to Buy US Arms

Donald Trump offered to sell weapons to China while hosting its leader, Xi Jinping, the US ambassador to China said on Sunday.

The extraordinary claim came during an interview about US policy on Taiwan, which has been waiting for months for Trump to approve a new arms sales package worth $14 billion, following a record multi-billion dollar deal unveiled late last year.

Trump’s level of commitment to protecting Taiwan has repeatedly been questioned. At a meeting with Xi in Beijing, Trump described the $14 billion Taiwan arms sales package as a “very good negotiating chip” in deal-making with China.

Beijing has consistently stated that it “resolutely opposes” Washington selling arms to Taiwan, which it regards as a breakaway province and has not renounced using force to claim. During their meeting in Washington, Xi urged Trump to oppose “Taiwan independence,” according to a readout from the official Chinese news agency Xinhua.

Taiwanese Deputy Foreign Minister Chen Ming-chi highlighted the severe military threat posed by Beijing. “Taiwan faces a severe situation in the Taiwan Strait. Even though China’s economy is slowing, it continues investing heavily in building its military capacity. Under this context, the US very much understands our defense needs,” he told reporters in Taipei.