US President Donald Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping whether Beijing would be interested in buying American weapons during their latest talks, according to US Ambassador to China David Perdue, an unusual exchange disclosed as Washington continues to hold back a roughly $14 billion (£10.5 billion) arms package for Taiwan.
Perdue's account, reported by the New York Post following Xi's three-day state visit to Washington, adds a striking detail to negotiations in which weapons have become one of the most sensitive issues between the world's two largest economies.
