Kathrine Frich
The two leaders discussed military equipment during their private meetings.
Diplomacy usually happens behind closed doors, surrounded by carefully written statements and strict protocols.
Sometimes, however, an unexpected detail slips out during a routine television interview.
That is exactly what happened when a top diplomat sat down to explain international relations.
Behind closed doors
United States Ambassador to China David Perdue recently shared new details about conversations between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. The two leaders discussed military equipment during their private meetings, according to Money.pl.
Some politicians in Washington have accused the White House of holding back 20 billion dollars in military supplies from Taiwan. Perdue rejected those claims completely.
The ambassador insisted that the president remains “strong on Taiwan” and has already approved 11 billion dollars in sales. He then revealed a much more unusual exchange between the two global leaders.
Pitching to Beijing
“He and Chairman Xi talk about it every time they meet. But President Trump keeps saying, ‘Hey, we sell weapons to other people around the world.’ He even asked President Xi at one point if he wanted to buy some, too,” Perdue told Fox News.
The delayed shipment to Taiwan would be the largest in history. It includes advanced missile systems meant for air defence.
Following a May meeting in Beijing, the American administration paused the deal. Trump himself described the Taiwan arms supply as “a very good bargaining chip” in his talks with China, the PAP news agency reported.
Warnings and trade deals
The discussions also covered global security concerns. Perdue noted that Trump directly warned his Chinese counterpart against providing support to Iran.
“Chairman Xi assured him that changes have been made, that he is looking into it and that there are some improvements,” Perdue said.
Beyond military matters, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced that the recent summit produced a 30 billion dollar reduction in tariffs. The two nations also agreed to create a formal dialogue about artificial intelligence.
Pomp over substance
Despite these announcements, international media outlets were less than impressed with the results.
The Financial Times reported that “the pomp outweighed the substance” during the state visit.
The newspaper called the event “a missed opportunity for Washington” while noting that Beijing secured highly visible “extraordinary ceremony” for its leader.
