Trump floated US weapons sales to Xi, ambassador says

U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue said on Fox News Sunday that President Donald Trump raised the idea of selling weapons to Chinese President Xi Jinping during their recent meetings in Washington. Perdue quoted Trump as telling Xi that the U.S. sells arms to many countries and reported that the president at one point asked Xi whether he would like to purchase some. Perdue’s account comes at a sensitive moment in bilateral ties. The U.S. and China have been in competition over advanced artificial intelligence, hold sharply different positions on Taiwan’s sovereignty, and Beijing maintains partnerships with states the U.S. views as adversaries, such as Iran. Those strategic frictions have shaped Washington’s long-standing caution around major arms transfers to Beijing. President Trump confirmed on Friday that he plans to meet Xi two more times before the end of the year. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he will see Xi in China at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in November and again a month later at the Group of 20 Summit in Miami. Trump also described Xi’s recent U.S. state visit as productive. Xi’s state visit concluded on Friday; it was his second trip to the United States, with his prior visit taking place during President Barack Obama’s administration 11 years earlier. The meetings and Perdue’s comments have drawn attention because they touch on defense, diplomacy, and the broader strategic rivalry between the two countries.