Trump asked Xi if China wanted to buy US weapons, envoy says

US Ambassador to China David Perdue says President Donald Trump personally asked Chinese President Xi Jinping whether Beijing would like to buy American weapons, framing the pending US arms package to Taiwan as one of many global sales Washington makes.

What the envoy actually said

Perdue said Trump justified the pending U.S. arms sale to Taiwan to Xi by downplaying it as just one of many sales Washington makes around the world, even asking Xi if he would be in the market for U.S. arms.

Perdue was speaking to Shannon Bream on Fox News Sunday days after Trump hosted Xi for a state visit in Washington, and did not specify when the offer was made. Perdue quoted Trump saying he actually asked President Xi, would he like to buy some, at one point.

Why this matters for defense policy

Perdue said Trump raised the prospect of arms sales from the US to its ascendant geopolitical rival, an unlikely offer that if consummated would upend generations of US policy toward China and Taiwan and potentially expose US technology to a potential foe.

The US is bound by its own laws to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself. While not recognizing Taiwan as a country, the US is the island’s strongest informal backer and arms provider. But multiple US leaders have left ambiguous whether they would commit military force to defend the US ally should China invade.

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Beijing’s response

In Beijing, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun did not confirm Perdue’s remarks when asked about the matter on Monday.

In their private talks at the White House last week, Xi pressed Trump to oppose Taiwan independence, according to Chinese state media.

The Taiwan angle

Bream had cited concerns from Republican and Democratic lawmakers over delayed aid packages and weapons orders to Taiwan, the self-ruled democracy, to defend itself from China’s threat to invade the island.

Perdue pushed back, stating that Trump is as strong on Taiwan as he has ever seen anybody and has sold it plenty of weapons. Perdue also said Trump and Xi continue to talk about future US weapons sales to Taiwan.

Options market and stocks to watch

Defense primes carry the most direct read-through. Watch LMT for any flow tied to Taiwan-linked platforms and F-16 orders, and RTX for missile and Patriot-related headlines.

Also worth monitoring: NOC and GD on any shift in the pace of foreign military sales, and BA, whose defense unit is tied to munitions and F-15 programs. For broader China-exposure risk on the same headline, watch FXI.

For related coverage, see more market news here.

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