U.S. authorities have confirmed that their country has not offered to sell weapons to China, following earlier claims by a U.S. ambassador that Donald Trump once made such an offer to Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
On Monday, 28 Sep 2026 GMT+7, U.S. officials confirmed they have no plans to sell weapons to China, after the U.S. Ambassador to China claimed that Donald Trump asked President Xi Jinping if he was interested in purchasing American weapons.
David Perdue, U.S. Ambassador to China, stated that Trump offered to sell weapons to the rival superpower China in response to Beijing's concerns about U.S. arms sales to Taiwan.
“President Trump said, ‘Come on, we sell weapons to others around the world,’ and at one point, he actually asked President Xi if he wanted to buy some,” Perdue said in an interview with Fox News. “There were further discussions about other sales, and he and President Xi talked about that every time they met.”
The White House confirmed on Monday that the U.S. government has no plans to sell any weapons to China, while the State Department stated in a release that U.S. law prohibits arms sales to China and that no such offers or plans exist.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not directly address the issue but said China is strengthening its national defense capabilities as needed and is committed to maintaining global peace and stability.
U.S. arms sales to Taiwan have long been a major point of conflict between Washington and Beijing, as China considers Taiwan part of its territory, while U.S. law requires support for Taiwan’s self-defense.
Trump adopted a strategically ambiguous stance by approving $11.1 billion in arms sales to Taiwan last December but also delayed a $14 billion purchase in May, saying it could be used as "leverage in negotiations" with China.
During his visit to the White House, Xi Jinping warned the U.S. to be cautious regarding Taiwan and clearly opposed any moves toward Taiwan’s independence.
:cna