Trump asked China’s president Xi if he wanted to buy U.S. arms while defending Taiwan sale, says envoy

U.S. President Donald Trump has justified the pending arms sale to Taiwan to Chinese President Xi Jinping by downplaying it as one of many sales Washington makes around the world, even asking Mr. Xi if he would be in the market for U.S. arms, U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue said on Sunday (September 27, 2026).

Mr. Perdue said Mr. Trump raised the prospect of selling U.S. arms to China, its ascendant geopolitical rival. The unlikely offer, if concluded, would upend generations of U.S. policy toward China and Taiwan and could expose U.S. technology to a potential foe. Speaking to Shannon Bream on ‘Fox News Sunday’, days after Mr. Trump hosted Mr. Xi for a state visit in Washington, Mr. Perdue did not specify when the offer was made.

Ms. Bream had cited concerns from Republican and Democratic lawmakers over delayed aid packages and weapons orders for Taiwan, the self-ruled island, to help it defend itself against China’s threat to invade. She asked if the U.S. was denying arms to Taiwan to appease Mr. Xi, who visited Mr. Trump last week.

Mr. Perdue pushed back on the suggestion, saying Mr. Trump “is as strong on Taiwan as I’ve ever seen anybody” and has sold it plenty of weapons. He also said Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi continue to talk about future U.S. weapons sales to Taiwan.

“But President Trump continues to say, ‘Hey, we sell arms to other people around the world,'” Mr. Perdue said. “He actually asked President Xi, would he like to buy some, at one point.”

The U.S. is bound by its own laws to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself. While not recognising Taiwan as a country, the U.S. is the island’s strongest informal backer and arms provider. But multiple U.S. leaders have left it ambiguous whether they would commit military force to defend the island should China invade.

China has pressed Washington to halt the arms sales, most prominently during a previous summit in May between Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi in Beijing. After that meeting, the U.S. paused the sale of a record-breaking $14 billion package, and Mr. Trump described arms sales to Taiwan as a “very good negotiating chip” with China.

In their private talks at the White House last week, Mr. Xi pressed Mr. Trump to oppose Taiwan independence, according to Chinese state media.

In Beijing, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun did not confirm Mr. Perdue’s remarks when asked about the matter on Monday (September 28, 2026). He told reporters that China has always strengthened its national defence capabilities based on its needs and is committed to maintaining world peace and stability.