A startling claim from President Donald Trump's ambassador to China reveals "something profoundly amiss" in how the administration handles one of America's most consequential rivalries, according to a new analysis by MS NOW's Zeeshan Aleem.
Ambassador David Perdue told Fox News on Sunday that Trump, while discussing U.S. weapons sales to Taiwan during Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit last week, told Xi, "Hey, we sell arms to other people around the world," and then "actually asked President Xi, would he like to buy some at one point?"
Trump has denied the account, but statements from the White House and State Department to The New York Times did not dispute that the remarks were made, saying only that no offer or plan to sell arms to China currently exists.
"This scenario, if true, is mind-boggling," Aleem wrote. If Perdue was wrong, it "would not just be a major lie, but a foolish one."
China is the lone nation capable of challenging U.S. military supremacy, the columnist noted, and Washington works hard to protect its technological advantage, which is why reports that sensitive F-35 components were diverted to Hong Kong are alarming. Arming Beijing would also contradict Trump's request that Xi limit support for Iran.
Such a sale would upend the One China framework in place since 1979, under which the U.S. formally acknowledges Beijing's position while supplying Taiwan with billions of dollars in defensive weapons.
Selling arms to China "would be akin to scoring an own goal," Aleem wrote.
The episode fits a familiar pattern, according to the analysis, of Trump alienating democratic allies while cozying up to authoritarian leaders. The columnist suggested Trump, facing a cost-of-living crisis and a faltering trade war with China, may have been searching for any deal Xi might accept. Trump previously paused a $14 billion arms sale to Taiwan in May after meeting with Xi.
The columnist also faulted Perdue for revealing what a capable diplomat would have kept quiet.
"The capitals of the world are always watching Washington closely," Aleem concluded. "This episode shows a president who seems to have fewer and fewer wits about him — and a staff that lacks the competence or willpower to make up for it."