'They would probably like to buy it': Trump denies weapon sales talks with Xi

President Donald Trump on Monday denied discussing the sale of US weapons with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their recent meeting, after US Ambassador to China David Perdue said Trump had raised the possibility of selling American military equipment to Beijing. Asked by reporters about Perdue’s comments, Trump said he was unfamiliar with the claim and suggested the ambassador may have been referring to Taiwan instead.

“I never heard of that one,” Trump said. “I don’t have to ask him. You mean we’re going to sell? No, they’d probably like to buy it because we do make better equipment than that, so maybe it’s a good idea. But we didn’t discuss. He may have been talking about Taiwan. I think he probably was talking about that.” Perdue had made the remarks on Sunday during an appearance on Fox News’ ‘Fox News Sunday’. He said Trump had brought up the possibility of selling US weapons to Xi while discussing American arms sales to other countries. “President Trump continues to say, ‘Hey, we sell arms to other people around the world,'” Perdue told Bream.

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The ambassador’s comments came as lawmakers have raised concerns over the timing of US weapons deliveries to Taiwan, which relies on American military equipment as it seeks to strengthen its defenses against a potential Chinese attack. When asked whether the United States had delayed weapons transfers to Taiwan in an effort to accommodate Beijing, Perdue rejected that suggestion. Perdue said Trump is as strong on Taiwan as I’ve ever seen anybody and indicated that discussions over U.S. arms sales to Taiwan would continue.

The Trump administration has since said there are no plans to sell weapons to China. The State Department told ABC News that US law prohibits arms sales to China and said there was no offer or plan to sell weapons to Beijing. Trump also spoke positively about his meeting with Xi, giving the talks an unusually high assessment. “I would rate it at 12. Very respectful, very good, great meeting.” The two leaders are expected to meet again at upcoming international gatherings, with Taiwan and broader US-China relations remaining sensitive issues.