President Donald Trump offered China the chance to buy U.S. weapons in an astonishing proposal.
During Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Washington, Trump at one point asked him if he would be interested in buying American weapons, U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue admitted.
The U.S. last approved $11 billion in sales of U.S. arms to Taiwan in December 2025, as China has been flirting with the idea of invading the small island to take it over.
When asked by Fox News on Sunday about the administration’s stance on Taiwan’s independence, Perdue made the stunning admission that Trump had actually offered Xi weapons.
“President Trump continues to say, ‘Hey, we sell arms to other people around the world.’ He actually asked President Xi if he would like to buy some, at one point,” Perdue said.
That confession received no further inquiry or pushback from Fox host Shannon Bream. The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for more information.
Trump’s offer to Xi marks a stunning departure from decades of U.S. foreign policy that outright bans China from purchasing U.S. arms.
U.S. law strictly prohibits the export of defense articles and defense services to China. After the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown in Beijing, the U.S. and European countries imposed arms embargoes on China that still exist today.
The U.S. does sell weapons to Taiwan, much to the dismay of Beijing, which claims the country as its territory.
Trump has delayed a more recent $14 billion arms package for Taiwan for several months, as he has dismissed bipartisan calls from Congress to advance it, describing it as a “very good negotiating chip” in his discussions with China.
