Xi and Trump agree Hormuz must remain open, White House says after Beijing summit

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - BEIJING/WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open and Iran should not have capabilityto develop nuclear weapons,the White House said, following the US-China summit in Beijing on Thursday.

Xi Jinping said earlier that trade talks were making progress at the start of a two-day summit but warned that disagreement over Taiwan could send relations down a dangerous path.

The Chinese leader’s remarks set the stage for what Trump described as possibly the “biggest summit ever” following a pomp-filled reception at Beijing’s imposing Great Hall of the People.

With Trump’s approval ratings dented by his Iran war, the first visit by a US president to America’s main strategic rival since his last trip there in 2017 has taken on added significance.

After an opening ceremony that featured an honor guard and throngs of children excitedly waving flowers and flags, Xi began the summit by telling Trump that stable relations between the world’s two biggest economies benefit the entire world.

“When we cooperate, both sides benefit; when we confront each other, both sides suffer,” he said in brief remarks that were open to media.

In his speech during the state banquet, Trump invited the Chinese President to the White House in September, saying relations between the US and China are long standing and deep rooted and they will work toward a greater cooperation with each other.

“You’re a great leader, sometimes people don’t like me saying it, but I say it anyway,” Trump said. “There are those who say this may be the biggest summit ever,” he added.

Xi broached the subject of Taiwan, the democratically governed island claimed by China and armed by the United States.

According to an official Chinese statement, Xi told Trump that the two countries will have clashes if the Taiwan issue is not handled "properly."

"The Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-US relations. If it is handled properly, the bilateral relationship will enjoy overall stability," said Xi.

"Otherwise, the two countries will have clashes and even conflicts, putting the entire relationship in great jeopardy," the Chinese president warned his US counterpart.

Trump did not respond when a reporter later shouted a question about whether they had discussed Taiwan as he posed for photos with Xi at the Temple of Heaven, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where emperors once prayed for good harvests.

The White House issued a statement about the Trump-Xi talks, not mentioning the issue regarding Taiwan, 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.

Trump said President Xi had offered China’s help to open the Strait of Hormuz and pledged not to send military equipment to aid Iran in its war against the US and Israel.

“He said he’s not going to give military equipment... he said that strongly,” Trump toldon Fox News after the two leaders met in Beijing.

“He’d like to see the Hormuz Strait open, and said ‘if I can be of any help whatsoever, I would like to help,’” Trump added.

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, the White House said.

Both countries agreed that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon, it added.

Regional tensions have remained high since US and Israeli strikes on Iran earlier this year triggered retaliatory attacks and disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway connecting the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

Amid a fragile ceasefire, the US has also enforced naval restrictions targeting Iranian maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz since April 13.

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, the White House said.

The bilateral economic ties, worth $414 billion last year, were "mutually beneficial and win-win in nature," Xi said, adding he "agreed" with Trump on a "new vision of building a constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability."

The leaders also agreed to expand cooperation in trade and agriculture and exchanged views on the situations in the Middle East, Ukraine and the Korean peninsula, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Joining Trump on the trip are a group of CEOs looking to resolve issues with China, including Elon ‌Musk and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, a late addition.

Trump introduced the executives to Xi during the talks.

China’s door of openness will only open wider, and US companies are deeply involved in China’s ‌reform and opening-up, Xi told Trump, according to the Chinese statement.

The power dynamics have changed since Trump’s last visit to Beijing when China ‌went out of its way to lavish the president and buy billions in US goods, said Ali Wyne, senior adviser for US-China relations at International Crisis Group.

Trump is now acknowledging China’s growing status, for example, by reviving the term ‘G2’, referring to a superpower duo, when he last met Xi on the sidelines of an APEC meeting in South Korea in October, Wyne said.

Aside from trade matters, Trump is expected to encourage China to convince Iran to make a deal with Washington to end the conflict. But analysts doubt that Xi will be willing to push Tehran hard or end support for its military, given Iran’s value to Beijing as a strategic counterweight to the US.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Fox News aboard Air Force One that it was in China’s interest to help resolve the crisis as many of its ships are stuck in the Gulf and a slowdown in the global economy would hurt Chinese exporters.