Trump asked China's president if he wants to buy US arms, ambassador
says
[September 28, 2026]
By BEN FINLEY
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has justified the pending U.S.
arms sale to Taiwan to Chinese President Xi Jinping by downplaying it as
just one of many sales Washington makes around the world — even asking
Xi if he’d be in the market for U.S. arms, Trump’s ambassador to China
said on Sunday.
David Perdue said Trump raised the prospect of the arms sales from the
U.S. to its ascendant geopolitical rival, an unlikely offer that if
consummated would upend generations of U.S. policy toward China and
Taiwan and potentially expose U.S. technology to a potential foe.
Perdue, speaking to Shannon Bream on “Fox News Sunday” days after Trump
hosted Xi for a state visit in Washington, didn't specify when the offer
was made.
Bream had cited concerns from Republican and Democratic lawmakers over
delayed aid packages and weapons orders to Taiwan, the self-ruled
democracy, to defend itself from China’s threat to invade the island.
Bream asked if the U.S. is denying arms to Taiwan to appease the Chinese
president, who visited Trump last week.
Perdue pushed back on the suggestion, stating that Trump “is as strong
on Taiwan as I’ve ever seen anybody” and has sold it plenty of weapons.
Perdue also said Trump and 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,’” 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 recognizing Taiwan as a country, the U.S. is
the island’s strongest informal backer and arms provider. But multiple
U.S. leaders have left ambiguous whether they would commit military
force to defend the U.S. ally should China invade.
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President Donald Trump, from right, and first lady Melania Trump
attend a tea with China's President Xi Jinping, from left, and his
wife Peng Liyuan in the Red Room of the White House, Friday, Sept.
25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
China has pressed Washington to halt the arms sales, most
prominently during a previous summit in May between Trump and Xi in
Beijing. After that meeting, the United States paused the sale of a
record-breaking $14 billion package — and Trump described arms sales
to Taiwan as a “very good negotiating chip” with China.
In their private talks at the White House last week, Xi pressed
Trump to oppose Taiwan independence, according to Chinese state
media.
In Beijing, China's foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun did not
confirm Perdue's remarks when asked about the matter on Monday. But
he told reporters that China has always strengthened its national
defense capabilities based on its needs, and is committed to
maintaining world peace and stability.
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