U.S. President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping agreed that the Strait of Hormuz "must remain open," the White House said Thursday after the U.S.-China summit in Beijing.
The White House shared a statement about the Trump-Xi talks, without mentioning the Taiwan issue, and extensively referring to the Iran war and the Strait of Hormuz.
"President Trump had a good meeting with President Xi of China," White House said in the statement shared on X.
"The two sides discussed ways to enhance economic cooperation between our two countries, including expanding market access for American businesses into China and increasing Chinese investment into our industries. Leaders from many of the United States’ largest companies joined a portion of the meeting," the statement said.
Trump "also highlighted the need to build on progress in ending the flow of fentanyl precursors into the United States, as well as increasing Chinese purchases of American agricultural products," the statement added.
"The two sides agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open to support the free flow of energy. President Xi also made clear China’s opposition to the militarization of the Strait and any effort to charge a toll for its use and he expressed interest in purchasing more American oil to reduce China’s dependence on the Strait in the future."
"Both countries agreed that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon," the statement added.
Regional tensions have remained high since U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran earlier this year triggered retaliatory attacks and disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway between Oman, Iran, and the UAE connecting the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
Amid a fragile cease-fire, the U.S. has also enforced naval restrictions targeting Iranian maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz since April 13.
