Trump is said to have asked Xi Jinping about his interest in US weapons

Washington. US President Donald Trump asked Chinese leader Xi Jinping whether he was interested in buying American weapons, according to the US ambassador to China. David Perdue told Fox News on Sunday (local time) that in connection with planned US arms deliveries to Taiwan, Trump had pointed out that the US was selling weapons to countries around the world.

“He actually asked President Xi if he wanted to buy some at some point,” Perdue said. The ambassador did not say exactly when Trump asked the question.

At the same time, Perdue rejected the assumption that Trump was holding back arms deliveries to Taiwan in order to accommodate China. Trump is "as determined as anyone I've ever seen" toward Taiwan, he said. Trump and Xi continue to discuss future US arms sales to Taiwan.

The US is required by law to provide Taiwan with means of self-defense. China rejects US arms sales to the self-governing island and has long called on Washington to stop them. After a meeting between Trump and Xi in May, Washington initially suspended the sale of a $14 billion arms package to Taiwan. At the time, Trump described arms deliveries to Taiwan as “very good bargaining chips” with China.