President Donald Trump said Thursday that Chinese leader Xi Jinping offered to help negotiate an end to the war with Iran and keep the Strait of Hormuz open to global shipping, giving the administration a pathway toward de-escalating a conflict that has rattled energy markets since February.
Following their summit meeting in Beijing, Trump told Fox News that Xi would like to help resolve the conflict and reopen the narrow waterway through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil and gas supplies pass. A White House readout confirmed that both leaders agreed the Strait should remain a free waterway and Iran should not be able to exact payments for shipping lanes.
"We really did the ceasefire at the request of other nations. I wouldn't have really been in favor of it, but we did it as a favor to Pakistan," Trump told reporters on Air Force One while heading back to the U.S. from China. Pakistan has served as a key mediator in negotiations between the U.S. and Iran.
However, analysts say Trump is unlikely to get the full support he wants from Beijing. Xi also warned Trump that Taiwan remained the most dangerous flashpoint in the relationship between the world's two largest powers, and that disputes over the self-governed island could push Washington and Beijing toward direct confrontation if mishandled.
Trump told reporters he refused to directly answer Xi when asked if the U.S. would defend Taiwan from an attack by China. "That question was asked to me today by President Xi," Trump said, without elaborating on his response.
The U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28, triggering a conflict that has disrupted global energy supplies and sent oil prices soaring. A Chinese supertanker carrying 2 million barrels of Iraqi crude sailed through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, marking the third known passage by a Chinese oil tanker since the strikes began.