U.S. ambassador David Perdue says President Donald Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping whether Beijing would like to buy American weapons during discussions following Xi’s state visit to the White House. Perdue says Trump raised the question as he and Xi spoke, and he describes it as something Trump “asked” Xi rather than as a formal proposal.
Perdue made the remarks on Fox News, and the State Department quickly said there is no plan for such a weapons deal with China. Other outlets report that the question came up in the broader context of U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, though they do not provide additional details on timing or the specific circumstances that prompted the exchange. Coverage differs mainly in tone and framing, with some outlets presenting the comment as a potential gambit or rhetorical remark, while others focus on the factual claim that the question was asked. None of the reports indicate that any transaction or agreement followed from Trump’s question.
Across the reports, the agreed core point is that Perdue publicly disclosed Trump’s question to Xi, and U.S. officials publicly moved to rule out any immediate implication of an arms purchase arrangement.
