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President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping seem to agree that the Strait of Hormuz must be reopened, according to new comments from the American president.
President Trump discussed his high-level talks with Xi during an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity. The discussions come amid the U.S. war with Iran, which is locked in a temporary but fragile ceasefire.
“[Xi] said he’s not going to give military equipment, that’s a big statement, he said that today…he said that strongly,” President Trump told the outlet about China’s stance on whether they would help Iran.
However, the president pointed out that China buys large amounts of oil from Iran, too.
“He said, you know, they buy a lot of their oil there, and they’d like to keep doing that, he’d like to see Hormuz Strait opened,” Trump continued.
President Trump also said that Xi “didn’t like the fact that they’re charging tolls – I don’t know if they are or not.”
In the same interview, Trump also said that Xi had committed to helping the United States in any way when it comes to bringing peace to the war in Iran, seemingly cementing murmurs that China is indeed seeking a mediator role in this conflict.
“Xi would like to see a deal made…he did offer, he said, ‘If I can be of ANY help at all, I would like to be of help,’” President Trump noted.
Reopening the Strait of Hormuz remains one of the most – if not the most – important issues for the Trump administration, as its continued closure stymies about 20 percent of the world’s oil and energy flow, including key fertilizers.
Fatih Birol, the executive director of the International Energy Agency, suggested to The New York Times this week that the economic damage done by the weeks-long closure of the Strait will be painful, but the solution is simple.
“The single most important solution to this problem today is fully and unconditionally opening up of the Strait of Hormuz,” he told the outlet.
