During his state visit to China, President Donald Trump claimed that Chinese leader Xi Jinping offered assistance regarding the opening of the Strait of Hormuz. Speaking first after his initial day in China to Fox News, Trump stated that Xi expressed a desire to see a “deal” and offered help, saying, “If I can help in any way, I would like to”. However, the specifics of this purported assistance, and whether the United States would accept it, remain unclear.
According to Trump, during bilateral discussions in Beijing, Xi reportedly also agreed not to supply military equipment to Iran. “We talked about it” the US president said. “He said he would not supply military equipment. That is an important statement”. Paradoxically, the US president noted that Xi also affirmed China’s continued, substantial purchases of oil from Iran. Furthermore, the meeting allegedly covered potential arrangements for China to buy oil from the United States, a trade that had been halted during last year’s trade disputes.
Before his diplomatic visit, Trump had asserted that the US did not require China’s support regarding the conflict in Iran or in economic matters. While many topics were on China’s agenda, Trump insisted that Iran was not among them, claiming the situation there was already under control. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBC News that the US had not asked China for assistance and, therefore, did not need it.
