Washington, September 29 (Daily Kiran) : President Donald Trump stated that he did not discuss the sale of U.S. military equipment to China during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. This clarification came during a recent press briefing at the White House, where a reporter referenced comments made by U.S. Ambassador to China, David Perdue, on “Fox News Sunday.”
When asked if he had suggested such sales to Xi, Trump responded with surprise, asking, “China?” Upon confirmation from the reporter, he inquired if the discussion was about Taiwan instead. The reporter reiterated that Perdue had mentioned China.
Trump replied, “I’ve never heard of it. I’ll have to ask him.” He acknowledged that China might be interested in purchasing U.S. equipment, stating, “We make better equipment than they do, so maybe it’s a good idea, but we didn’t discuss it.”
He speculated that Perdue might have been referring to Taiwan, emphasizing that he had not proposed any arms sales to any country during his discussions with Xi. The topic arose from the reporter’s mention of Perdue’s remarks, but Trump’s response did not clarify the ambassador’s exact words. However, he was clear that there had been no conversation about selling military equipment to China.
During the event, Trump also announced a proposed investment in steel in Iowa from a company linked to the Ruya family. He used this opportunity to argue that the U.S. should produce essential materials for its own security, citing aircraft and tanks as examples. He questioned whether Washington could rely on China for steel in tank production.
Trump then shifted focus to his positive assessment of the meeting with Xi, expressing enthusiasm for U.S. industrial capacity and diplomatic relations with Beijing. There was no evidence to suggest that discussions about selling military goods to China were on the agenda. When directly asked about the suggestion, Trump distinguished between the ideas raised in questions and the actual conversations that took place between leaders.
Later, during talks about trade with Canada, Trump noted that the U.S. has good relations with China and is making agreements with other countries. He did not revisit the topic of military equipment sales or provide further details about his conversation with Xi.
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