Trump says Xi Jinping vowed not to supply military equipment to Iran, offered help on Strait of Hormuz: Details
US President Donald Trump said Xi Jinping has vowed not to supply military equipment to Iran while stressing continued Chinese oil ties with Tehran. Trump also claimed Xi offered help on the Strait of Hormuz issue.
US President Donald Trump 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 Xi Jinping, 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.”
Quick answers to key questions
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 US President 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 US-Iran 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 White House 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 tariff 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 Iran 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 Taiwan, 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 Middle East war.
On Friday, Trump is likely to steer discussions toward trade, joined by several business leaders, including Tesla’s Elon Musk 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.
About the Author
Swati Gandhi is a digital journalist with over four years of experience, specialising in international and geopolitical issues. Her work focuses on foreign policy, global power shifts, and the political and economic forces shaping international relations, with a particular emphasis on how global developments affect India. She approaches journalism with a strong belief in context-driven reporting, aiming to break down complex global events into clear, accessible narratives for a wide readership.<br><br> Previously, Swati has worked at Business Standard, where she covered a range of beats including national affairs, politics, and business. This diverse newsroom experience helped her build a strong grounding in reporting, while also strengthening her ability to work across both breaking news and in-depth explanatory stories. Covering multiple beats early in her career has helped her be informed about her current work, allowing her to connect domestic developments with wider international trends.<br><br> At Live Mint, she focuses on international and geopolitical issues through a business and economic lens, examining how global political developments, foreign policy decisions, and power shifts impact markets, industries, and India’s strategic and economic interests.<br><br> She holds a Bachelor’s degree in English (Honours) from the University of Delhi and a Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University. Her academic training has shaped her emphasis on precision, analytical rigour, and clarity in writing. Her interests include global political economy and the intersection of geopolitics with business.<br><br> Outside work, Swati focuses on exploring her passion and love for food. From fancy cafes to street spots, Swati explores food like a true foodie.
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