Archive · 29 Sep 2026
Trump Denies Discussing U.S. Weapons Sales With Xi
Donald Trump said he did not talk with Xi Jinping about selling American weapons to China.
This differed from what Ambassador David Perdue had said publicly.
Perdue said Trump mentioned the possibility while discussing U.S. arms sales to other countries.
Trump suggested Perdue may have meant Taiwan instead of China.
Trump also said China might want to buy American military equipment.
Taiwan buys U.S. weapons to help strengthen its defenses.
Some lawmakers are worried about the timing of weapons deliveries to Taiwan.
Perdue said the United States had not delayed those deliveries to please China.
President Donald Trump denied discussing U.S. weapons sales with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue said Trump had raised the possibility during their recent meeting.
Trump said Perdue may have been referring to American arms sales to Taiwan instead.
Trump said China would probably want to buy U.S. equipment, which he described as better than Chinese equipment.
Perdue rejected claims that Washington delayed weapons deliveries to Taiwan to accommodate Beijing.
- Who
- Donald Trump, Xi Jinping, and U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue.
- What
- Trump denied discussing U.S. weapons sales with Xi, while Perdue said Trump had raised the possibility.
- When
- Trump made the denial on Monday after Perdue's comments on Sunday.
- Where
- The remarks concerned Trump's recent meeting with Xi Jinping and were discussed publicly in the United States.
- Why
- The dispute arose after Perdue described possible weapons sales to China amid concerns about U.S. arms deliveries to Taiwan.
Trump's Account
Perdue's Account
Whether weapons sales to China were discussed
Trump's Account
Trump said he did not discuss selling U.S. weapons with Xi and suggested Perdue may have meant Taiwan.
Perdue's Account
Perdue said Trump had brought up the possibility of selling American military equipment to China while discussing U.S. arms sales elsewhere.
Timing of Taiwan weapons deliveries
Trump's Account
Perdue said Trump is strongly supportive of Taiwan and that discussions over arms sales would continue.
Perdue's Account
Lawmakers have raised concerns about whether the timing of deliveries could reflect an effort to accommodate Beijing.
- Trump's position
- He said he never discussed selling U.S. weapons with Xi Jinping.
- Perdue's account
- Perdue said Trump had raised the possibility of selling American military equipment to Beijing.
- Trump's alternative explanation
- Trump said Perdue may have been referring to Taiwan.
- Taiwan's defense
- Taiwan relies on American military equipment to strengthen its defenses against a potential Chinese attack.
- Delivery concerns
- Lawmakers have questioned the timing of U.S. weapons deliveries to Taiwan.
- Perdue on delays
- Perdue rejected the suggestion that weapons transfers to Taiwan had been delayed to accommodate Beijing.