Lyle Goldstein, the director of the Asia Program at Defense Priorities, said Trump might have misspoken or made an offer “without thinking it through,” but logically many would be concerned about U.S. military technology going to Beijing. He noted that in the 1980s, China was considered an emerging market for U.S. weapons as Washington sold Blackhawk helicopters and lightweight torpedoes.
“These are both important weapons systems. In both cases, they helped the PLA make major advances. The huge role of the Blackhawk sale back then is reflected in the fact that the contemporary Z-20 that China is building in large numbers is derivative of the original American design,” he told The Hill on Monday, referring to the Harbin Z-20 medium-lift utility helicopter.
Goldstein said even if it’s impossible for the U.S. to sell high-end exquisite weapons systems, such as PAC-3 interceptors or Tomahawk missiles, it might be possible to sell Beijing “lower-end items.”
Goldstein, who is also a senior fellow at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University, said it is possible that Trump is making an effort to lower the “level of mutual suspicion” between the countries and slash the trade deficit by selling older weaponry.
“Remember, it’s clear that Trump prioritizes the success of American companies and especially exports. His singular achievement in the Russia-Ukraine War has been to reduce America’s role, while continuing the process of U.S. weapons exports by getting the Europeans to fund these outlays,” he said. “It’s hard to imagine, but he could attempt to reduce the yawning trade deficit with China by selling them old American weapons.”
“I think the national security establishment would strongly oppose that approach, but Trump has questioned many orthodoxies in Washington,” Goldstein said.
Featuring
More on Asia
Events on China
