Trump asked Xi Jinping if China would like to buy US weapons, American ambassador says
A Guardian report puts on the record the extraordinary diplomatic moment — and its immediate denials — at the center of a rapidly shifting US-Taiwan-China arms relationship.
1 / 5In the article · Yank's paraphrase
President Trump actually asked President Xi would he like to buy some at one point.
Yank Summary
What matters, in Yank’s words, each linked to where the source says it.
Trump asked Xi Jinping if China would like to buy US weapons during Xi's visit to Washington, Perdue said. In the source
Trump described the $14bn Taiwan arms sales package as a "very good negotiating chip" in dealings with China. In the source
President Trump actually asked President Xi would he like to buy some at one point.
Ambassador Perdue directly quotes Trump making the offer to Xi, turning a secondhand claim into firsthand testimony.
In context
Donald Trump offered to sell weapons to China while hosting its leader, Xi Jinping, last week, the US ambassador to China said on Sunday. David Perdue told Fox News on Sunday: “President Trump continues to say, hey, we sell arms to other people around the world. He actually asked President Xi, would he like to buy some at one point.” On Monday, Chinese state media praised the “extraordinary level of courtesy” that Trump had shown Xi on the Chinese leader’s visit to Washington. The extraordinary claim came during an interview about US policy on Taiwan, which has been waiting for months for Trump to approve a new arms sales package worth $14bn (£10.5bn), after a record multibillion-dollar dea…
President Trump actually asked President Xi would he like to buy some at one point. On Monday, Chinese state media praised the “extraordinary level of courtesy” that Trump
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Trump described the $14bn Taiwan arms sales package as a "very good negotiating chip" in dealings with China.
Trump's own framing reveals Taiwan's arms package is leverage against China, not a commitment to Taiwan's defence.
In context
The extraordinary claim came during an interview about US policy on Taiwan, which has been waiting for months for Trump to approve a new arms sales package worth $14bn (£10.5bn), after a record multibillion-dollar deal was announced in December last year. Trump’s level of commitment to protecting Taiwan has previously been questioned. At a meeting with Xi in Beijing in May, Trump said he was keeping the $14bn Taiwan arms sales package in abeyance, describing it as a “very good negotiating chip” in dealings with China.
Trump said he was keeping described the $14bn Taiwan arms sales package in abeyance, describing it as a "very good negotiating chip" in dealings with China.
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US law prohibits arms sales to China and there is no offer or plan to sell arms to China.
The State Department officially contradicts the ambassador's account, exposing a direct conflict within the US government.
In context
Beijing has repeatedly said it “resolutely opposes” Washington’s arms sales to the island democracy, which it regards as a breakaway province, despite never having ruled it, and has not renounced the use of force to take it. During their Washington meeting last week, Xi urged Trump to oppose “Taiwan independence”, according to a readout from the official Chinese news agency Xinhua. After Perdue’s interview, the White House told the New York Times the US had no plans to sell arms to China, while the state department said: “US law prohibits arms sales to China and there is no offer or plan to sell arms to China.”
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China's arms imports fell by 72% between 2021 and 2025 compared with the previous five years, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
China's collapsing import volumes undercut the premise that it would ever need or want American weapons.
In context
After Perdue’s interview, the White House told the New York Times the US had no plans to sell arms to China, while the state department said: “US law prohibits arms sales to China and there is no offer or plan to sell arms to China.” China is a net exporter of weapons. Of the arms that it does import, most come from Russia, but the volume is rapidly falling thanks to advances in China’s own military manufacturing capacity. China’s arms imports fell by 72% between 2021 and 2025 compared with the previous five years, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
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A White House fact sheet said China and the US "fought side by side to win" in the second world war — a claim Taiwan's government publicly rejected as a Communist Party fabrication.
Taiwan's government publicly disputes White House language on wartime alliance, adding a third-party challenge to Trump's diplomatic framing.
In context
“Taiwan faces a severe situation in the Taiwan strait. Even though China’s economy is declining, it continues investing more resources into building military capacity. Under this context, the US very much understands our defence needs,” he told reporters in Taipei. On Sunday, a Taiwanese official, Shen Yu-chung, also pushed back on what he said was an attempt by Beijing to “falsely claim that the Chinese Communist party and the US were allies” in the second world war. A fact sheet released by the White House after the Trump-Xi summit had said China and the US “fought side by side to win” in the war.
claim that the Chinese Communist party and the US were allies” in the second world war. A fact sheet released by the White House after the Trump-Xi summit had fact sheet said China and the US "fought side by side to win" in the second world war — a claim Taiwan's government publicly rejected as a Communist Party fabrication.
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