NEW YORK, Sept 28: US officials have denied reports that Washington was considering or had offered to sell American weapons to China, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.
The clarification followed comments by US Ambassador to China Terry Branstad, who said in a Sunday interview with Fox News that President Donald Trump had allegedly suggested that Chinese President Xi Jinping consider purchasing US-made weapons.
Branstad did not disclose how Xi responded to the reported suggestion.
A US official told The Wall Street Journal that the Trump administration had no plans to sell weapons to China. Another official cited by the publication said arms sales to China are prohibited under US law and stressed that Washington had not made any such offer to Beijing.
The reported comments come against the backdrop of ongoing US-China engagement on trade, security and other bilateral issues. Any potential change in Washington’s policy on arms sales to Beijing would involve significant legal and policy considerations under existing US restrictions.
The officials’ statements therefore sought to clarify that there is no current US plan to supply American weapons to China, despite the remarks attributed to the ambassador regarding Trump’s alleged proposal.