'I never heard of that one': Trump caught off guard by claim about arms sales to China

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump appeared surprised when asked about a claim that he suggested selling US military equipment to China during his meeting with President Xi Jinping.

The question followed US Ambassador to China David Perdue's account of the exchange on Fox News on Sunday, as Taiwan awaits a $14 billion US arms package.

Trump addressed the claim on Monday, September 28, during an Oval Office event announcing a new steel plant in eastern Iowa.

Trump says he did not discuss selling weapons to China

Trump initially appeared to confuse China with Taiwan when responding to the reporter's question about Perdue's account.

"To China? Yes, to Taiwan," Trump said before the reporter clarified that Perdue had specifically referred to China. 

Trump then responded, "I never heard of that one."

He questioned whether China might want to buy US military equipment, saying, "They probably like to buy it because we do make better equipment than that."

However, he added that the subject had not been discussed during his meeting with Xi.

Perdue had made the claim during an appearance on 'Fox News Sunday', saying Trump had asked Xi whether he would like to buy American weapons.

"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.

The ambassador's account concerned a meeting between the two leaders during Xi's three-day Washington visit.

Trump did not confirm Perdue's description when asked about it on Monday.

White House says there are no plans for arms sales to China

The White House told The New York Times after Perdue's interview that the United States had no plans to sell arms to China.

The State Department also rejected the possibility of such a sale, stating, "US law prohibits arms sales to China and there is no offer or plan to sell arms to China."

The statements provided a direct response to Perdue's account, which raised questions about whether Trump had floated the idea during his meeting with Xi.

Trump's remarks also came after he described his meeting with the Chinese leader in positive terms during Monday's Oval Office event. 

He rated the meeting "a 12" on a scale of zero to 10 and called it "very respectful, very good, great meeting."

The president did not offer further details about the alleged exchange over weapons sales. 

He said he would have to ask Perdue what the ambassador meant and suggested Perdue might have been referring to Taiwan.

Taiwan's pending arms package remains a separate issue

Taiwan has been waiting for months for Trump to approve a new $14 billion arms sales package, according to a Guardian report.

The president previously described the package as a "very good negotiating chip" in dealings with Beijing.

At a meeting with Xi in Beijing in May, Trump said he was keeping the package in abeyance, the report said. 

China has repeatedly opposed US arms sales to Taiwan, which Beijing considers a breakaway province, and Xi urged Trump to oppose "Taiwan independence" during the Washington meeting, according to China's state news agency Xinhua.

The United States has maintained a strategically ambiguous position on whether it would defend Taiwan in the event of an invasion.

However, the Taiwan Relations Act requires Washington to provide the island with sufficient military equipment for its defense.

Taiwanese Deputy Foreign Minister Chen Ming-chi said the island faced a severe military threat from China, which continued investing in its military capabilities.

"Under this context, the US very much understands our defence needs," Chen told reporters in Taipei.

Perdue separately told CNBC on Friday that Trump's Taiwan policy, including arms sales, had not changed. 

Trump himself had not mentioned the proposed sale since the summit, saying Saturday only that Xi understood his position on Taiwan.