During a White‑House briefing Sunday, President Donald Trump posed a question to China’s leader, asking Xi Jinping whether Beijing was interested in buying U.S. weapons.
The query came as Trump defended a pending arms package for Taiwan, downplaying it as part of routine U.S. sales worldwide, a stance echoed by Ambassador David Perdue on Fox News Sunday.
Perdue, who works as the U.S. ambassador to China, said Trump’s remark was meant to reassure that Washington’s commitment to Taiwan’s defense remains unchanged, citing that the U.S. law obliges it to supply arms to the island.
However, the sale was put on hold after a May summit where China urged Washington to halt the $14 billion package, which had been a key bargaining chip in the U.S.–China talks.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun declined to confirm Perdue’s claims, instead stressing that China’s defense buildup is driven by national needs and aims to preserve global stability.
The next phase will see the U.S. Treasury reviewing the package’s re‑approval, with lawmakers slated to vote on the transfer in the coming weeks.