Trump-Xi weapons question remains undated as State Department rules out a deal

David Perdue said on Fox News that Donald Trump asked Xi Jinping whether Beijing wanted to buy American weapons. Perdue spoke after Xi’s White House visit the previous week, but did not say when the question was asked or what prompted it. The State Department quickly ruled out such a deal.

Assembled News DeskOctober 4, 20261 min read

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The South China Morning Post reported that U.S. ambassador to China David Perdue recounted Trump’s question on Fox News on Sunday, after Xi Jinping’s White House state visit the previous week. That sequence dates Perdue’s account, not the exchange between Trump and Xi: Perdue did not specify when Trump asked the question or what prompted it.

The State Department quickly ruled out a deal for American weapons with China, which the South China Morning Post described as Washington’s principal strategic competitor. The report does not establish that the question was asked during Xi’s visit.

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