President Donald Trump pitched an unconventional business proposition directly to Chinese leader Xi Jinping when he visited the White House last week: an invitation to purchase American military hardware.

The revelation came to light during a television interview on Sunday, courtesy of US Ambassador to China David Perdue.

'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 on Fox News, without revealing any more details about the results of their conversation.

President Trump told reporters in the oval office today that Perdue was confusing Taiwan and China during his interview.

'To China? You mean to Taiwan? I never heard of that.... No, the they probably like to buy it because we do make better equipment than that. Maybe it's a good idea. But we didn't discuss.' 

Current law 'prohibits arms sales to China,' a State Department official told the Daily Mail. 

In addition, a US official added there is no plan to sell any weapons to China, despite the ambassador's shocking admission.  

Perdue was also asked during the interview if there are concerns about the weapon and military aid for Taiwan that has been held up.

The US ambassador to China responded by saying that President Trump had greenlit $11 billion in arms sales to Taiwan last year and that there were ongoing conversations about other potential purchases.

'He and President Xi talk about that every time they get together,' Perdue told the Fox News host, adding that Trump argued that the US sells arms to other countries globally.

The notion of the White House dangling high-tech American weaponry before Beijing is nothing short of a seismic break with modern foreign policy.

For decades, Washington's establishment has viewed the Communist-ruled superpower as the ultimate challenger to the US and the lone global heavyweight capable of rivaling US economic might, diplomatic reach and military dominance.

China boasts the planet's most rapidly expanding military machine, prompting administrations of both parties to sound the alarm for decades over the terrifying prospect of a brawl between the two nuclear-armed superpowers. 

One major concern is over the fiercely contested sovereignty of Taiwan amid aggressive territorial maneuvers by Beijing in the South and East China Seas that threaten key US allies.

Trump's startling sales pitch comes against a backdrop of deep-seated hostility, with US officials warning that state-backed Chinese defense firms are actively propping up America's main global adversaries.

Beijing has given the green light for domestic companies to supply Iran and Russia with critical dual-use technology and high-grade satellite imagery, alongside covert plans to export lethal weaponry.

These activities have already triggered a wave of American sanctions targeting multiple Chinese enterprises.

As America's historic military dominance in the Asia-Pacific wanes, accelerated by resources being diverted to the war against Iran, the US defense sector is simultaneously buckling under production shortfalls.

The New York Times reports that the White House is currently sitting on a stalled $14 billion arms package for Taiwan.

Though State Department officials crafted the package and congressional leaders signed off on it earlier this year, the crucial shipment has stalled indefinitely within the department.

Senators from both sides of the aisle sent a letter to Trump in May of this year, pleading with him to consider restarting the sales.

Adding fuel to the fire, President Trump candidly admitted during a May Fox News interview in Beijing that he was deliberately freezing the Taiwan shipments to keep them in reserve as a high-value 'negotiating chip' with Xi Jinping.

With talks back on the calendar, Trump revealed last week that he will sit down with Xi in China during a November regional summit, ahead of a reciprocal visit by the Chinese President to the US in December.

The Daily Mail reached out to the White House for comment.