Trump reportedly asked Xi if China wanted to buy U.S. weapons

Monday 28 September 2026 - 15:14

Washington’s policy toward China and Taiwan has come under renewed scrutiny after U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue said President Donald Trump had at one point asked Chinese President Xi Jinping whether Beijing would be interested in purchasing American weapons.

Perdue made the disclosure during an interview with Fox News on Sunday, shortly after Xi’s state visit to Washington. The ambassador did not specify when Trump raised the possibility or explain how Xi responded. He also did not establish whether the exchange took place during the Chinese leader’s latest visit to the White House.

Washington rules out an arms deal with Beijing

The remarks immediately drew attention because U.S. law prohibits American arms sales to China. Following Perdue’s comments, U.S. officials stressed that Washington has no plan or active proposal to sell weapons to Beijing.

The State Department told the New York Times that American law bars such sales and that there was “no offer or plan” for an arms deal with China. The White House likewise indicated that no such weapons transaction was being prepared.

The distinction is significant: Perdue described a question reportedly raised by Trump, while U.S. authorities said there is no formal initiative to translate that discussion into an arms agreement.

Taiwan remains at the center of the dispute

The comments emerged as Washington and Beijing continue to clash over Taiwan, one of the most sensitive issues in their bilateral relationship.

The United States has maintained a longstanding policy of providing Taiwan with military equipment for its self-defense. At the same time, Beijing strongly opposes American arms deliveries to the island, which China claims as part of its territory and has not ruled out taking by force.

Trump's administration approved a major arms package for Taiwan in December 2025, valued at approximately $11 billion. A separate package estimated at around $14 billion has subsequently remained on hold. The delay has added another layer of uncertainty to an already contentious issue in U.S.-China relations.

During recent contacts with Trump, Xi has continued to press Washington over Taiwan. Chinese officials have consistently called for an end to American arms sales to the island, while U.S. officials have maintained that American policy toward Taiwan has not fundamentally changed.

An unusual message to Beijing

Perdue's remarks are particularly notable because they place the issue of American weapons in a direct conversation between Trump and Xi, even though the United States and China remain strategic competitors.

The ambassador presented Trump's comments as part of an argument that Washington sells weapons to countries around the world. He also emphasized that the president's administration has supplied Taiwan with significant military equipment and that discussions over additional Taiwanese arms sales continue.

There is, however, no indication from the U.S. government that the reported exchange has evolved into negotiations over supplying weapons to China.

A transactional approach to diplomacy

The episode also illustrates the highly transactional character of Trump's foreign-policy messaging. Economic relations, military sales and broader strategic disputes have increasingly been discussed together in Washington's dealings with Beijing.

Recent U.S.-China contacts have covered trade, artificial intelligence and other strategic matters alongside the Taiwan question. The two governments continue to compete over advanced technologies while simultaneously seeking mechanisms to prevent their broader relationship from deteriorating.

For Taiwan, the uncertainty surrounding American decisions remains particularly consequential. The island is strengthening its military capabilities while closely monitoring Washington's decisions on arms deliveries and the broader direction of U.S. policy.

No evidence of a Chinese arms purchase

For now, Perdue's statement does not amount to an announced U.S.-China arms agreement. No American weapons deal with Beijing has been unveiled, and the State Department has explicitly ruled out such a plan under existing U.S. law.

The significance of the episode therefore lies less in an actual change in arms policy than in what the ambassador's disclosure reveals about the way Trump discusses military sales with Xi. With Taiwan remaining a central point of disagreement between Washington and Beijing, even an informal reference to selling American weapons to China has the potential to attract considerable diplomatic attention.