Trump asked Xi if China wants to buy US weapons, US ambassador says

US ambassador to China David Perdue has said that President Donald Trump once asked Chinese President Xi Jinping whether China would like to buy American weapons.

“President Trump continues to say, ‘Hey, we sell arms to other people around the world.’ He actually asked President Xi — would he like to buy some? — at one point,” Perdue said in an interview on Fox News Sunday that aired on 27 September, speaking days after Xi’s state visit to Washington last week.

Perdue was responding to questions from host Shannon Bream about delayed US arms packages for Taiwan, The Hindu reported. He did not specify when Trump put the question to Xi, and did not reveal Xi’s reply.

Washington moved quickly to distance itself from the remarks. A US official told the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal that the US had no plans to sell arms to China. The US State Department said: “US law prohibits arms sales to China and there is no offer or plan to sell arms to China.”

China’s foreign ministry did not directly answer when asked about Perdue’s comments on Monday, but said China “has always strengthened its national defence capabilities based on its own needs, and remains committed to maintaining world peace and stability.”

The episode comes as Washington approved an $11.1 billion arms sale to Taiwan in December, and amid continuing US-China tensions over arms sales to the island, which Beijing claims as its territory.

Sources

• The Guardian — “Trump asked Xi Jinping if China would like to buy US weapons, American ambassador says” (28 Sep 2026; Perdue on Fox News Sunday; White House to NYT; State Department statement)
• Channel News Asia (AFP) — “Trump offered to sell arms to Xi: US ambassador to Fox News” (Perdue quote verbatim; Chinese foreign ministry response Monday; $11.1bn Taiwan sale)
• The Hindu — “Trump asked China’s President if he wants to buy U.S. arms, Ambassador says” (interview with Shannon Bream; no timing or Xi reply given)
• The Straits Times — “Trump offered to sell arms to China, US ambassador says” (White House via US official; State Department statement; Chinese embassy no comment)