Trump contradicts US envoy over reported offer to sell arms to China’s Xi

On September 29, US President Donald Trump dismissed claims by his envoy, Ambassador to China David Perdue, that he had asked Chinese President Xi Jinping if he wanted to buy American weapons. Perdue had told Fox News that Trump had made the unusual offer during Xi's state visit to the White House last week, in response to Chinese concerns about US weapons sales to Taiwan.

Trump, however, stated in an Oval Office press conference that the offer had never been made and that he did not believe China would be interested in purchasing the arms. The US State Department reiterated that US law prohibits arms sales to China and that there is no plan or offer to sell weapons to China. The issue of US arms sales to Taiwan, which China claims is part of its territory, has long been a contentious topic between Washington and Beijing.