Trump Denies Ambassador's Claim He Offered Arms to Xi Jinping

President Donald Trump denied offering to sell arms to Chinese President Xi Jinping, disputing his Ambassador to China, David Perdue's, account of the interaction.

Ambassador Perdue told Fox News in an interview Sunday that Trump asked Xi Jinping if he would like to buy American weapons during a state visit. When asked about the interaction on Monday, Trump appeared surprised and directly refuted Perdue's anecdote, asking, "To China? You mean to Taiwan?" Trump stated, "I never heard of that one. I'm going to have to ask him," referring to Perdue's remarks.

He added, "Now, they'd probably like to buy it because we do make better equipment than them, so maybe it's a good idea. But we didn't discuss it." The State Department distanced itself from Perdue's recounting, stating that "U.S. Law prohibits arms sales to China and there is no offer or plan to sell arms to China."

A White House official also stated that the United States had no plans to sell arms to China. China's foreign ministry did not directly address whether Beijing would consider purchasing American weapons, but said the country always strengthened its national defense capabilities based on its own needs, and remains committed to maintaining world peace and stability.

China is widely recognized by officials of both parties to be a possible American adversary in the Pacific. The meeting took place as tensions over trade negotiations have resulted in higher tariffs on each other's goods, as well as competition to develop advanced artificial intelligence.