Washington has moved to distance itself from an unusual claim by US Ambassador to China David Perdue that President Donald Trump once asked Chinese President Xi Jinping whether he wanted to buy American weapons.
Perdue made the remark during an interview with Fox News that aired on Sunday, September 27 while discussing US arms sales to Taiwan. “President Trump continues to say: hey, we sell arms to other people around the world” then added “he actually asked President Xi would he like to buy some at one point.”
Following the extraordinary claim by the ambassador to sell arms to the second-largest economy, a US official later told The Wall Street Journal that the Trump administration has no plans to sell weapons to Beijing. The outlet also cited a second US official who said “weapon sales to China are already prohibited by law and reiterated that no plans or offers have been made to Beijing.”
What did Trump reportedly say to Xi?
Perdue did not explain when Trump made the remark or whether it happened during Xi’s visit to Washington last week. He also did not say whether the Chinese leader responded to the question.
The ambassador's comments came while he was explaining the Trump administration's approach to Taiwan and US weapons sales to the island nation which China wants to unify. Perdue said the longstanding US position toward Taiwan had not changed. “We don’t support independence, and we don’t support coercion,” The The Wall Street Journal quotes.
The remarks came days after Trump hosted Xi for a state visit in Washington. Taiwan remains one of the most sensitive issues in US-China relations, with Beijing opposing US arms sales to the island.
Why is the Taiwan arms issue important?
The United States has supplied Taiwan with weapons for decades so that the island nation can maintain its ability to defend itself. Beijing considers Taiwan part of China and has reacted furiously whenever the US tried to sell its weapons to Taipei. China has also not ruled out using force to take control of the island.
How much has the US agreed to sell Taiwan?
In December last year, Congress received notifications of eight potential US arms sales to Taiwan with a combined value of more than $11 billion.
According to the Forum on the Arms Trade, the proposed sales included $4.05 billion for 82 M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), 420 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles, 756 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System-Unitary pods and related equipment.
Another package, worth $4.03 billion, covered 60 M109A7 self-propelled howitzers, 4,080 precision guidance kits and other equipment.
The notifications also included $1.1 billion for ALTIUS-700M and ALTIUS-600 systems, $1.01 billion for tactical mission network software and equipment, $375 million for Javelin missiles and related systems, $353 million for TOW missiles, $96 million for AH-1W helicopter spare and repair parts, and $91.4 million for Harpoon missile support.
Separately, Congress was notified in November 2025 of a potential $330 million sale covering non-standard components and spare and repair parts for F-16, C-130 and Indigenous Defense Fighter aircraft.
