Trump Asked Xi If China Wanted to Buy US Weapons, Envoy Says

US Ambassador to China David Perdue said on Fox News Sunday that President Donald Trump asked President Xi Jinping during last week's state visit whether China would like to purchase American weapons. Perdue quoted Trump as saying the United States sells arms to other countries around the world.

The White House and State Department quickly pushed back, stating the United States has no plans to sell arms to China and that US law prohibits such sales. The State Department said there is no offer or plan to sell arms to China.

“He actually asked President Xi would he like to buy some at one point.”

China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun neither confirmed nor denied Trump's comment, saying only that Beijing strengthens its defence according to its own needs. The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The episode is striking because the United States has long sold billions of dollars in arms to Taiwan, which China claims as its territory. A $11.1 billion package was approved in December 2025 and a $14 billion package remains pending.

US officials have warned of a potential military clash between the two nuclear-armed powers in the Asia-Pacific, particularly over Taiwan and the South and East China Seas. Chinese defence companies are accused of supporting US adversaries including Iran and Russia.