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U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue said President Donald Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping whether China would like to buy U.S. arms, while justifying a pending weapons sale to Taiwan. The comments came days after Xi's state visit to Washington.
President Donald Trump justified a pending U.S. arms sale to Taiwan to Chinese President Xi Jinping by downplaying it as one of many sales Washington makes around the world, even asking Xi whether he would like to buy U.S. arms, Trump's ambassador to China said on Sunday.
Trump's Offer of U.S. Arms to China
David Perdue said Trump raised the prospect of arms sales from the United States to its ascendant geopolitical rival, an unlikely offer that if consummated would upend generations of U.S. policy toward China and Taiwan and potentially expose U.S. technology to a potential foe. Perdue, speaking to Shannon Bream on Fox News Sunday, did not specify when the offer was made.
His comments came days after Trump hosted Xi for a state visit in Washington, including a tea in the Red Room of the White House on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, with first lady Melania Trump and Xi's wife, Peng Liyuan. Bream had cited concerns from Republican and Democratic lawmakers over delayed aid packages and weapons orders to Taiwan, the self-ruled democracy, to defend itself from China's threat to invade the island.
She asked whether the United States is denying Taiwan to appease the Chinese president, who visited Trump last week. Perdue pushed back on the suggestion, stating that Trump is as strong on Taiwan as I have ever seen anybody and has sold it plenty of weapons. Perdue also said Trump and Xi continue to talk about future U.S. weapons sales to Taiwan. But President Trump continues to say, Hey, we sell arms to other people around the world, Perdue said.
He actually asked President Xi, would he like to buy some, at one point. The United States is bound by its own laws to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself. While not recognizing Taiwan as a country, the United States is the island's strongest informal backer and arms provider. But multiple U.S. leaders have left ambiguous whether they would commit military force to defend the U.S. ally should China invade.
China Presses Washington on Taiwan Arms
China has pressed Washington to halt the arms sales, most prominently during a previous summit in May between Trump and Xi in Beijing. After that meeting, the United States paused the sale of a record-breaking US$14 billion package, and Trump described arms sales to Taiwan as a very good negotiating chip with China. In their private talks at the White House last week, Xi pressed Trump to oppose Taiwan independence, according to Chinese state media.
Xi also said he expects to see Trump again soon as he wrapped up his U.S. visit with a look at the Constitution. Ben Finley of The Associated Press reported from Washington.
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CP24:This story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
Trump Xi Arms Offer US Taiwan Arms Sale David Perdue Fox News Sunday Xi White House State Visit US China Taiwan Policy
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