Published : 28 Sep 2026, 09:29 PM
Updated : 28 Sep 2026, 09:29 PM
US President Donald Trump asked Chinese leader Xi Jinping whether Beijing would like to purchase American weapons, the US ambassador to China has said -- a claim the White House and State Department were quick to distance themselves from.
Ambassador David Perdue made the remarks in a television interview, saying Trump had raised the question during Xi's visit to the United States last week, says Channel News Asia.
"President Trump continues to say, 'Hey, we sell arms to other people around the world,'" Perdue was quoted as saying by CNA, adding that arms sales come up every time the two leaders meet.
White House officials told US media there were no plans to sell weapons to China, and the State Department was more direct, saying US law prohibits such sales and that no offer or plan exists.
The backdrop to the exchange is Washington's longstanding legal obligation to supply Taiwan with weapons for its defence -- a perennial irritant in US-China relations.
Beijing regards Taiwan as part of its territory and has repeatedly urged Washington to stop arming the self-ruled island, according to Channel News Asia.
Trump approved an $11.1 billion arms package for Taiwan in December, the largest such sale since 1979 according to Perdue.
But in May, Washington paused a separate $14 billion Taiwanese weapons purchase, with Trump describing it as a useful bargaining chip in negotiations with Beijing.
During his US visit, Xi reiterated calls for Washington to show restraint over Taiwan and urged it to explicitly oppose Taiwanese independence, reports Channel News Asia.
The two leaders confirmed they would meet again at the APEC summit in Shenzhen in November and the G20 in Miami in December.
