US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday (local time) that China is very happy that the Strait of Hormuz is permanently open, adding that his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will give him a “big, fat hug” during his upcoming visit to China.
In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote: “China is very happy that I’m permanently opening the Strait of Hormuz. I’m doing it for them too – AND for the world. This situation will never happen again. They agreed not to send weapons to Iran. President Xi will give me a big hug when I get there in a few weeks. We work together smart and fight very well, fight very well, BUTREM??? I have to – much better than anyone else!!!”
Trump-Xi Jinping exchange letters amid Middle East war
He added that China had pledged not to supply Iran with arms, nearly a week after reports citing US intelligence said Beijing was preparing to send weapons to Tehran’s aid as a two-week ceasefire was in effect. According to a CNN report, Tehran is using the two-week ceasefire with the US as an opportunity to restock weapons. After hearing reports of Beijing’s military support for Tehran, Trump declared: “I heard that China is giving weapons – I mean you see it everywhere – to Iran.”
He added that he subsequently instructed the Chinese president to comment on the issue: “And I wrote him a letter asking him not to do that, and he wrote to me that basically he doesn’t.”
His remarks came ahead of a planned visit to China on May 14-15, where he will meet Xi Jinping for a summit. This is the second meeting between the two leaders since Trump returned to the White House last January. The first meeting took place in October last year in Busan, South Korea, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.
Trump threatened 50% tariffs
Earlier, the US president threatened to immediately impose 50% tariffs on goods from countries that supplied weapons to Tehran, a move that could damage US-China trade ties if it goes ahead. According to a Bloomberg report, while Beijing is not sending weapons directly to Tehran, it is providing the Islamic Republic with dual-use technology.
Xi Jinping issues first remarks on US-Iranian conflict
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday issued his first public statement on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. “The international order is collapsing into disorder,” he said, calling on all parties to exercise restraint. In a thinly veiled criticism of the US, Xi Jinping noted: “To preserve the authority of the international rule of law, we cannot use it when it suits us and abandon it when it doesn’t.
According to The New York Times, while Beijing has condemned the US-Israeli war against Iran, it has also sought to maintain a neutral stance as it balances its partnership with Tehran and manages tensions with Washington. Trump is expected to visit Beijing in May to discuss extending the truce in the US-China trade war.
Xi’s remarks add to meetings and talks held by senior Chinese officials in recent days and underscore Beijing’s active role in trying to build on a two-week truce signed last week by the US and Israel with the Islamic Republic. Beijing is heavily dependent on oil imports from the Strait of Hormuz, which was effectively closed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) days after the US and Israel went to war in late February.
