US officials have denied any plans to sell weapons to China following comments made by U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue during a Fox News interview, suggesting that President Donald Trump offered such a deal to Chinese leader Xi Jinping. On Monday, a US official and the State Department confirmed there are no current plans or offers for arms sales to China, stating that U.S. law prohibits it. Trump later clarified he might have been referring to Taiwan instead of China during his meeting with Xi. This denial comes amid growing economic tensions between the two countries and competition in technology sectors like artificial intelligence.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-29,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On September 27, US Ambassador to China David Perdue revealed that President Donald Trump had asked Chinese President Xi Jinping if he wanted to buy American weapons during Xi's state visit to the United States. This surprising admission came as part of discussions about a pending $14 billion arms sale package to Taiwan, which Beijing views as its territory but considers self-governing. The State Department quickly clarified that US law prohibits arms sales to China and there are no plans for such deals.
The statement by Perdue sparked debates over the nature of Trump’s inquiry—whether it was a joke or a serious offer—and raised questions about potential shifts in U.S. policy towards Taiwan, which seeks stronger defense against perceived threats from China. The White House confirmed that the United States has no plans to sell weapons to China despite President Trump's comment, highlighting the complex dynamics between Washington and Beijing regarding regional security and arms sales.
Written for “Trump Offered Weapons To China” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 16 other(s) covering the same event.
US officials deny there are plans to sell weapons to China
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officials → deny → China
The U.S. ambassador to China said Trump offered to sell arms to China.
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Trump → say → China
Trump administration officials said on Monday that the United States has no plans to sell weapons to China after U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue indicated during a televised interview that President Donald Trump offered a weapons deal to China's Xi Jinping during a high-profile summit last week.
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Trump → say → summit
"President Trump continues to say, 'Hey, we sell arms to other people around the world,'" Perdue said Sunday during an appearance on Fox News.
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Perdue → continue → News
"He actually asked President Xi would he like to buy some at one point."
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he → ask → point
Perdue did not provide further details about the offer, and he did not reveal Xi's response.
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he → provide → response
A U.S. official denied there were plans to sell weapons to China.
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official → deny → China
"The U.S. government has no plans to sell weapons to China," the official said to ABC News on Monday.
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official → have → Monday
The State Department also denied a potential sale, saying in a statement to ABC News that "U.S. law prohibits arms sales to China and there is no offer or plan to sell arms to China."
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law → deny → China
Asked about Perdue's comments in the Oval Office on Monday, Trump said he "didn't discuss it" with Xi, suggesting he meant Taiwan instead of China.
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he → ask → China
"I never heard of that one.
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I → hear → one
I'm going to have to ask him.
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I → go → him
You mean we're going to sell?
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we → mean → ?
Now they'd probably like to buy it because we do make better equipment than them.
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we → like → them
Yeah, but, we didn't discuss it," Trump said, later adding "I think he probably was talking about Taiwan."
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he → discuss → Taiwan
A U.S. weapons sale offer to China would be extraordinary, as China is viewed as the primary strategic and economic competitor of the U.S. and is designated as a foreign adversary.
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China → view → adversary
The U.S. has placed extensive economic sanctions on China, including economic restrictions, investment bans and contract limits on companies, groups and schools tied to the Chinese military.
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U.S. → place → military
The two geopolitical rivals are also competing in the race to develop advanced artificial intelligence and have opposing views over Taiwanese sovereignty.
And in recent weeks, Beijing has come under scrutiny for allegedly providing another U.S. adversary -- Iran -- with satellite imagery in their ongoing conflict with the U.S. and other regional allies.
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Beijing → compete → U.S.
Perdue told Fox News that Xi had "assured" Trump during their bilateral meeting last week that they were "looking into" the allegations about supporting Iran with satellite imagery.
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they → tell → imagery
The Trump administration notably downplayed taking action against China for allegedly helping Iran despite the United States' stated goal of targeting all countries with financial ties to Iran as part of the U.S. Treasury's offensive "Operation Economic Outcast."
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administration → downplay → Outcast
"When they say that China spies on us, I say, 'You’re right, and we spy on them too,' you know?
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you → say → them
We spy on them too," Trump said earlier this month.
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Trump → spy → them
When asked by reporters on Friday if the two leaders had discussed the war in Iran, Trump replied, "We did," adding without providing details: "I think we’re going to do great."
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we → ask → details
The potential offer to China comes as the Trump administration continues to press pause on a proposed $14 billion arms sale to the island of Taiwan, a de facto independent nation.
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administration → come → Taiwan
China has long claimed the sovereign territory as its own and regularly conducts large-scale military drills, live-fire exercises and daily air and naval patrols to apply pressure on the island.
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China → claim → island
Taiwan relies heavily on U.S. military support to push back on China's encroachments.
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Taiwan → rely → encroachments
Perdue said that the administration was not denying Taiwan access to weapons needed for its defense, asserting: "President Trump is as strong on Taiwan as I've ever seen anybody.
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I → say → anybody
He's made it very clear that we have not changed the One China policy."
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we → make → policy
"President Xi has heard that repeatedly from President Donald Trump.
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Xi → hear → Trump
President Trump has already sold 50% more arms to Taiwan than any other president since 1979," Perdue added.
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Perdue → sell → 1979
ABC News' Nicholas Kerr contributed to this report.
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Kerr → contribute → report
The Aporia
