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US President Donald Trump denied on Monday that he had offered Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping the purchase of US weapons, after the US ambassador to Beijing said he had.
Trump told reporters at the White House in response to a question about the ambassador's remarks, "I never heard that before," adding "Maybe they want to buy them because we make better equipment than they do, so maybe it's a good idea. But we didn't discuss it"
US Ambassador to Beijing David Perdue said in an interview broadcast by Fox News on Sunday that the US President had offered his Chinese counterpart the purchase of US weapons.
Perdue said the issue was raised again during the Chinese President's visit to the United States last week.
He added, "President Trump continues to say: We sell weapons to other countries around the world. And at one point, President Xi asked if he would like to buy some of them"
He continued, "Discussions continue on other sales, and Trump and President Xi talk about this every time they meet", confirming that the US position had not changed.
The New York Times and Wall Street Journal cited White House officials that the United States does not intend to sell weapons to China.
The US State Department said in a statement to the New York Times that "US law prohibits the sale of weapons to China, and there is no offer or plan to sell weapons to it"
The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not directly answer a question on Monday about these statements, but confirmed that China "has always strengthened its national defense capabilities based on its own needs, and remains committed to maintaining global peace and stability"
In June, China warned Taiwan that seeking independence "by relying on the United States or through military means is a dead end"
In December, Washington approved an $11.1 billion arms deal for Taiwan, which Perdue said was "more than any other US president has provided since 1979"
In May, Trump hinted that a new arms package for Taipei could be used as a bargaining chip with China, raising fears that Taiwan's security could become part of the negotiations between the two countries.
During his visit to Washington, Xi urged Trump to be "wise and prudent" on the Taiwan issue, calling on the United States to explicitly oppose the island's independence.
The two leaders confirmed that they would meet again during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen, China, in November, and then during the G20 summit hosted by Trump's Doral resort in Miami in December.
US arms sales to self-governing Taiwan are one of the main points of contention between Washington and Beijing.
Under US law, the United States is committed to providing Taiwan with the weapons necessary for its self-defense.
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