The Trump administration said the United States has no plans to sell weapons to China after U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue said President Donald Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping whether China wanted to buy U.S. arms. Trump denied making the offer or discussing it with Xi, while a U.S. official said existing law bars arms sales to China. Experts described the proposal as either an extraordinary break with decades of policy or an indication of Trump’s transactional approach to trade, markets and weapons, rather than an executable initiative. They also noted that U.S. arms sales to Taiwan remain a central point of tension, with an approved $11.1 billion package announced in December and a proposed $14 billion sale stalled for months. Analysts said the pause risks unsettling regional allies and argued Washington should prioritize Taiwan and other Indo-Pacific partners rather than consider sales to Beijing. The episode has also revived debate over whether limited sales of older U.S. equipment could reduce mutual suspicion or the trade deficit, although national security officials would likely oppose such a shift.