Ambassador to China David Perdue said on Sunday (September 27, 2026). U.S. President Donald Trump has justified the pending arms sale to Taiwan to Chinese President Xi Jinping by downplaying it as one of many sales Washington makes around the world, even asking Mr. Xi if he would be in the market for U.S. arms, U.S.
Mr. Trump raised the prospect of selling U.S. arms to China, its ascendant geopolitical rival. The unlikely offer, if concluded, would upend generations of U.S. policy toward China and Taiwan and could expose U.S. technology to a potential foe. Speaking to Shannon Bream on ‘Fox News Sunday’, days after Mr. Trump hosted Mr. Xi for a state visit in Washington, Mr. Perdue did not specify when the offer was made. Mr. Perdue pushed back on the suggestion, saying Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi continue to talk about future U.S. weapons sales to Taiwan. “He actually asked President Xi, would he like to buy some, at one point. In their private talks at the White House last week, Mr. Xi pressed Mr. In Beijing, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun did not confirm Mr.
Perdue’s remarks when asked about the matter on Monday (September 28, 2026). Earlier reporting noted: Perdue was speaking about US policy toward Taiwan, which has been waiting for months for Trump to approve a new arms package worth about $14 billion.
Perdue said Mr. Trump “is as strong on Taiwan as I’ve ever seen anybody” and has sold it plenty of weapons. He also said Mr. “But President Trump continues to say, ‘Hey, we sell arms to other people around the world,'” Mr. Trump to oppose Taiwan independence, according to Chinese state media. He told reporters that China has always strengthened its national defence capabilities based on its needs and is committed to maintaining world peace and stability. Earlier reporting noted: US President Donald Trump sought to downplay Washington’s pending arms sale to Taiwan by telling Chinese President Xi Jinping that the US sells weapons to countries around the world, and even asking whether China would like to buy some, according to US ambassador to China David Perdue.
Earlier reporting noted: “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 told Fox News on Sunday.
