Trump Asked Xi if China Wanted to Buy U.S. Weapons, Ambassador Reveals

President Donald Trump asked Chinese leader Xi Jinping if he was interested in purchasing American weapons, according to U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue.

"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," Perdue stated Sunday on "Fox News Sunday."

The disclosure occurred amidst discussions between the two leaders regarding U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing claims as its territory, and China's support for Iran.

The Trump administration had previously paused a significant portion of an approximately $14 billion arms sale to Taiwan. This pause was implemented amid ongoing trade negotiations and domestic pressures on U.S. stockpiles stemming from conflicts in Iran and Ukraine.

Perdue confirmed that the U.S. has not altered its stance on Taiwan, stating, "Our support for that has not changed." He added, "We don’t support independence and we don’t support coercion." The U.S. policy of strategic ambiguity maintains that it is unclear whether the U.S. would intervene militarily if China were to attempt to take Taiwan by force.

During their meetings, Trump also raised concerns with Xi about China's support for Iran. According to Perdue, Xi provided assurances that changes had been made and that the matter was being investigated. "And we see some improvement in that. But it’s an ongoing effort that we have to make sure that they stay out of that," Perdue said.

This exchange about arms sales and Taiwan follows an incident where China is believed to have acquired sensitive F-35 fighter jet parts that had been sent to Hong Kong, though the precise reasons remain unclear.