US President on Thursday (local time) said that Chinese President Xi Jinping has vowed not to provide military equipment to Iran.
Trump, who is in China for a bilateral summit with , told Fox News in an interview clip, “He said he’s not going to give them military equipment. That’s a big statement. He said that today,” and added that Xi “said that strongly.”
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What did Chinese President Xi Jinping reportedly promise Donald Trump regarding military equipment for Iran?⌵
Chinese President Xi Jinping reportedly vowed not to provide military equipment to Iran. Donald Trump stated that Xi Jinping made this promise strongly during their meeting.
What was Xi Jinping’s stance on China’s economic ties with Iran?⌵
Xi Jinping stressed Beijing’s economic ties to Iran, particularly its significant oil purchases. He indicated that China would like to continue buying oil from Iran.
Did Xi Jinping offer any assistance regarding the Strait of Hormuz?⌵
Yes, Xi Jinping offered to help in reopening the Strait of Hormuz. He expressed a desire to be of assistance if he could be of any help whatsoever.
What common ground did Trump and Xi find regarding Iran’s nuclear ambitions?⌵
Trump and Xi agreed that Iran should not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons. Preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon was highlighted as a top priority.
What was the US and China’s joint stance on the Strait of Hormuz?⌵
Both Donald Trump and Xi Jinping agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open and free from militarization. China stated they are not in favor of militarizing the strait.
However, the also noted that his Chinese counterpart stressed Beijing’s economic ties to Iran, particularly oil purchases. China buys “a lot of their oil” from Iran, Trump said, adding that Xi told him, “they’d like to keep doing that.”
Trump’s China visit
Trump made these remarks while on a two-day visit to China for a meeting with his counterpart. The meeting was originally scheduled for April, but was postponed due to the war, which was launched in late February.
At a lavish state banquet attended by senior officials and business executives, Xi told the audience that the China-US relationship was the most important in the world, Reuters reported.
“We must make it work and never mess it up,” Xi said, before guests tucked into a 10-course dinner that included lobster soup, Beijing roast duck, and tiramisu.
The summit between the two leaders comes nearly six months after they first met following Trump’s return to the last year. The meeting between Trump and Xi took place in October in South Korea’s Busan, on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit. The first meeting between the two leaders came at a time when bilateral ties between Washington and Beijing were strained, following a war, which started after the US President announced staggering duties in April last year.
Trump seeks China’s help to convince Iran?
According to reports, the US President, who is reportedly facing a tough time with as it refuses to back down on its ambition for a nuclear program in exchange for a deal with Washington, is expected to encourage China to convince the Islamic Republic to make a deal to end the conflict. The development comes as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) continues the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of global oil and natural gas supplies traveled in pre-war times. However, citing analysts, Reuters reported that Xi might not be willing to push Tehran hard or end support for its military, given Iran’s value to Beijing as a strategic counterweight to the US.
Trump says Xi offered to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz
Speaking to Fox News, Trump said that his Chinese counterpart has also offered to help in reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively shut since the war began in late February.
Trump said, “President Xi would like to see a deal made. He would like to see a deal made. And he did offer, he said, if I can be of any help at all, I would like to be of help.” He added, “Look, anybody that buys that much oil has obviously got some kind of relationship with them, but he said, ‘I would love to be of help, if I can be of any help whatsoever.’ He’d like to see the Hormuz Strait open.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent echoed Trump’s stance. Speaking with CNBC, he said he believed that Beijing would “do what they can” to help open the strait, something “very much in their interest.”
Trump to seek tangible trade wins in summit with Xi
Trump will seek out trade wins as he heads into final meetings with Xi Jinping on Friday at a superpower summit overshadowed by the Chinese leader’s uncharacteristically sharp warning on , AFP reported.
The US President is hoping to secure business deals in a wide range of sectors, including agriculture, aviation, and artificial intelligence (AI), but will also be looking for geopolitical wins in areas including the war.
On Friday, Trump is likely to steer discussions toward trade, joined by several business leaders, including Tesla’s and Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, figures representing the types of deals the US leader is aiming to secure.
Trump, who marked the first visit by a US president to China in nearly a decade, invited his Chinese counterpart and his wife, Peng Liyuan, for a White House visit on September 24. If Xi Jinping agrees, the September visit would be the third meeting in less than a year between the two world leaders, a move that could indicate a possible reset in ties.
