Trump denies proposing US arms sales to China

US President Donald Trump rejected suggestions Monday that he proposed selling American military hardware to China during his recent bilateral summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

"I've never heard of that one," Trump told reporters when questioned about the matter raised by US Ambassador to China David Perdue on Sunday. "We didn't discuss that. He may have been talking about Taiwan." While remarking that Beijing would likely want American defense equipment because the US manufactures superior systems, Trump maintained that the topic was never raised.

Trump said China would "probably like to buy it because we do make better equipment," calling it a “good idea.”

Perdue told US broadcaster Fox News that Trump frequently tells counterparts that Washington sells defense equipment globally and even asked Chinese President Xi Jinping "at one point" whether Beijing would like to purchase American arms.

A US State Department official subsequently told the South China Morning Post that federal law prohibits defense sales to China and that Washington maintains no plans or offers to supply weapons to Beijing.

The US has previously sold weapons to China. During closer US-China strategic cooperation against the Soviet Union in the 1980s, Washington supplied Beijing with military equipment, including AN/TPQ-37 counter-artillery radars and Mark-46 torpedoes.