Napoleon sold the Louisiana Territory to the US to finance his wars. Russia sold the US the area that is now the states of Washington and Oregon. Pissed you guys off to no end. Plenty of precedents for this.

It wasn’t because of debt, it was to help his buddies but Cheney sold off (for pennies on the dollar) the Elk Hills Naval Oil Preserve in California.
I think they should privatize all the military golf courses.

In the past Bonds were sold to the general public to help pay off debt .
Income tax was initially used for this but then it was permanent way of obtaining money.
( initially it was used to suplement the war effort only).

Russia sold Alaska to the US not Washington and Oregon. Washington and Oregon were acquired in the treaty of Oregon in 1849 with Great Britain that set the border between Canada and the US.

The Alaska purchase was finalized in 1867. The initial US claim to Washington and Oregon was made by the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1804–1806.

But to the OP question, the US could not give Hawaii to China without the consent of the Hawaiian legislature. They could give the Federal property in Hawaii, but it is more likely that China will get mineral rights to Federal lands than it is that they will be given any lands outright.

@WestRiverrat Yes. I stand corrected on the Oregon Treaty. But don’t underestimate the arrogance of any government toward it’s people when it deems an action necessary, whether it be a democracy or otherwise. If the US wanted to sell Hawaii to China, although highly unlikely in the foreseeable future, they would and to hell with the people who live there. If you’ve lived in the US for the past 50 years, you must know by now that the ethic in Washington is that it is easier and more effective to apologise to the people afterwards than it is to ask for their permission beforehand. I cite nearly every one of our military engagements since 1954.

I think that we should sell Hawaii to Japan. I suspect they would jump at the chance especially because it is a prime stop for Japanese on vacation. It never seemed right to make an island, more than a thousand miles from California a state. I’d put Alaska back as a territory also.

Hawaii is maybe not the best example because it’s not all owned by the U.S. Federal Government and the U.S. claim on the Hawaiian islands is feeble.