Washington DC - The US said Monday that it has no plans to sell arms to China, after a US envoy said President Donald Trump asked Xi Jinping if he would like to buy American weapons.
US Ambassador to China David Perdue said Trump made the extraordinary offer to sell arms to the rival superpower in response to Chinese concerns over weapons sales to Taiwan.
Trump's proposal came during Chinese president Xi's pomp-filled state visit to the White House last week, Perdue told Fox News.
"President Trump continues to say, 'Hey, we sell arms to other people around the world.' He actually asked President Xi – would he like to buy some? – at one point," Perdue said in an interview.
"There are continuing conversations about other sales, [Trump] and President Xi talk about that every time they get together," Perdue said, adding that the US position has not changed.
The White House said no such sales to China were in the pipeline.
"The US government has no plans to sell weapons to China," a US official told AFP.
US arms sales to Taiwan, the self-ruled island which China claims is part of its territory and has threatened to seize by force, have long been a thorny issue between Washington and Beijing.
The US is required by law to supply Taiwan, which has a democratically elected president and legislature, with weapons for its defense.
The State Department said in a statement to the New York Times that "US law prohibits arms sales to China and there is no offer or plan to sell arms to China."
The Chinese foreign ministry did not directly answer when asked about the comments on Monday, but said China has "always strengthened its national defense capabilities based on its own needs, and remains committed to maintaining world peace and stability."