‘Unsettling to American partners’: Trump’s offer to sell arms to China is an admission he doesn’t take its security threats seriously, experts warn
While the White House denied there are plans for one, an arms sale would completely undermine U.S. efforts to keep China from becoming a superpower, according to policy experts.
President Donald Trump offered to sell weapons to China during a summit with President Xi Jinping, a move experts say contradicts the administration's warnings about China's military threat. The U.S. ambassador to China, David Purdue, revealed that Trump had asked Xi if he would like to buy weapons. However, the White House denies any intention to sell arms to China.
Foreign policy experts argue that the suggestion contradicts recent sanctions and trade restrictions, and dismisses China's role in supplying munitions to Iran. Zhiqun Zhu, a professor of political science and international relations at Bucknell University, stated that selling arms to China would turn against the U.S. and is nonsensical given the intense competition between the two nations.
Ryan Hass, director of the Brookings Institution's China Center, noted that Trump's offer puts into question whether he views China as a security threat. The withholding of arms to Taiwan while offering China a deal raises concerns about Trump's commitment to U.S. allies.
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