Mr. Trump: Mr. Xi offered to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz

“President Xi Jinping said very unequivocally that he will not provide military equipment to Iran. He wants to see the Strait of Hormuz reopened and said ‘if I can help in any way, I am willing to help,'” US President Donald Trump said in an interview with Fox News today, after meeting Chinese leaders in Beijing.

China has close relations with Iran and is also the West Asian country’s largest oil consumer.

“President Xi wants to see an agreement signed. He really wants that,” President Trump added, referring to a potential agreement to end the Middle East conflict.

China has not yet commented on the US President’s statement.

In the interview, Mr. Trump also said China had agreed to order 200 Boeing aircraft. Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, a member of the delegation accompanying the US President, previously expressed hope that the Trump administration would help the company win large orders from China.

Before the US President leaves to visit China, many people predict that he will urge Beijing to put pressure on Tehran so that the country accepts the peace agreement and reopens the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route that has been almost blocked since the outbreak of war.

In a statement after the summit between the leaders of the two countries in Beijing, the White House said China agreed that the strait “must remain open”. Beijing also opposes militarization as well as tolls across the strait.

Answer the interview NBC News On the same day, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington did not ask Beijing for help in the issue with Tehran. “We raised this issue to clarify our position and for them to understand, because it is reasonable. We will discuss it because this is a very important issue,” he said.