President Donald Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping told him China will not provide military equipment to Iran, a claim Trump described as a major development from the high-stakes talks in Beijing.
Xi “said he’s not going to give military equipment. That’s a big statement. He said that today. That’s a big statement. (He) said that strongly,” Trump said to Fox News host Sean Hannity Thursday.
The pledge, if carried out, would mark a potential win for the Trump administration as it increasingly frames Beijing not only as an economic rival, but as a key enabler of adversarial regimes. In recent months, U.S. officials have accused China of helping prop up Iran’s economy and military power through oil purchases, dual-use exports and intermediary networks.
Trump said Xi also offered to help end the conflict.
“He said, if I can be of any help at all, I would like to be of help,” Trump said.
The White House and the Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment on the matter.
Trump also said Xi raised the Strait of Hormuz, the vital shipping corridor for global energy markets, and indicated China wants traffic moving again.
“But at the same time, 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,” said Trump. “I said, well, we didn’t stop it. They did it.”
China heavily relies on Iranian oil imports, purchasing around $31 billion to $32 billion of Iranian crude annually, according to Reuters.
Beijing has recently signaled it won’t play along with Washington’s sanctions regime. China ordered firms to ignore U.S. sanctions targeting Iranian oil in May, a direct challenge to the crackdown.
China’s Commerce Ministry invoked a 2021 “blocking statute” ahead of the summit which bars companies from complying with “illegitimate” foreign sanctions. The order targets several Chinese refiners accused by the U.S. of buying Iranian crude, including large independent processors known as “teapot” refineries.
Trump also questioned claims that Iran is collecting money tied to passage through the waterway.
“He didn’t like the fact that they’re charging tolls,” said Trump. “I don’t know if they are or not. I don’t know who would pay him. I mean, where do they put the money to come to countries decimated, you know, they’re charging tolls where’s the money going,” said Trump.
Donald Trump said he believes a deal could be reached before the trip ends that would include China buying oil from the United States, a possibility he said helped spark a jump in prices.
“They’re going to go to Texas. We’re going to start sending Chinese ships to Texas and to Louisiana and to Alaska. And I think that was another thing that was agreed to it. That’s a big thing,” said Trump.
The two leaders held a bilateral tea meeting Friday morning local time in Beijing at the Zhongnanhai compound in their final meeting before Trump’s return to the White House.
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