US President Donald Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping had promised him that China would not send military aid to Iran. The leaders held talks in Beijing on Thursday, marking the first visit by a US president to China since 2017.
US officials sought to persuade China to help pressure Iran into agreeing to US peace terms and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran closed to “enemy ships” in response to US and Israeli airstrikes.
“He said he’s not gonna give military equipment. That’s a big statement,” Trump told Prime Times. He added that China wanted the Strait of Hormuz to remain open because it imports oil from the region.
“He said they buy a lot of their oil there, and they’d like to keep doing that,” Trump said.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBC News that “the Chinese side said they are not in favor of militarizing the Strait of Hormuz.” He added that Beijing does not support Iran imposing tolls on ships passing through the waterway. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC that China “will be working behind the scenes” to help restore access to the strait.
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