Trump Disputes Ambassador’s Claim He Asked Xi to Buy US Weapons

US President Donald Trump has disputed his ambassador to China’s account that he asked Chinese President Xi Jinping whether Beijing wanted to buy American weapons, saying the matter was not discussed during Xi’s recent state visit to Washington.

US Ambassador to China David Perdue made the claim during an appearance on Fox News on Sunday while defending the Trump administration’s policy on arms sales to Taiwan. Perdue said Trump had pointed out that the United States sells weapons to countries around the world and had at one point asked Xi whether China wanted to buy some.

Perdue did not say when the question was raised, what weapons were discussed or how Xi responded. His comments came shortly after Xi’s state visit to Washington, where he held talks with Trump on trade, technology, Taiwan and other issues affecting US-China relations.

Trump, speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Monday, rejected the suggestion that he had discussed selling weapons to China with Xi. He said he had not heard of the account and suggested that Perdue may have been referring to Taiwan instead. Trump also said China would probably be interested in American military equipment, while adding that the issue was not discussed with Xi.

The State Department also moved to clarify the situation, saying that US law prohibits arms sales to China and that there is currently “no offer or plan” to sell American weapons to Beijing. A US official separately told ABC News that the government has no plans to sell weapons to China.

The reported exchange drew attention because US arms sales to Taiwan remain one of the most sensitive issues in relations between Washington and Beijing. China considers Taiwan part of its territory and has repeatedly demanded that the United States stop supplying weapons to the island.

Washington, meanwhile, has continued to provide Taiwan with military equipment under its longstanding policy of helping the island maintain its self-defence capability. A proposed arms package worth about $14 billion has been delayed, following Trump’s May meeting with Xi in Beijing. Trump previously described the Taiwan weapons package as a negotiating tool in discussions with China.

Xi again raised Taiwan during his Washington visit, urging the United States to oppose Taiwanese independence, according to Chinese state media. China’s Foreign Ministry did not confirm Perdue’s account about the weapons question when asked about it, instead saying Beijing would continue strengthening its defence capabilities according to its needs.

The latest statements therefore leave two distinct accounts of the reported exchange: Perdue says Trump asked Xi whether China wanted to buy US weapons, while Trump says the discussion did not take place and the State Department says there is no US offer or plan to sell arms to China.