BEIJING: US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed during talks in Beijing on Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open and that Iran should never acquire nuclear weapons, according to international media reports citing a White House statement.
The White House said the two leaders held more than two hours of discussions with senior officials from both countries, with the Middle East situation and global energy security among the key issues discussed.
“The two sides agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open to support the free flow of energy,” the statement said. It added that Xi opposed “the militarisation of the Strait and any effort to charge a toll for its use”.
According to media reports, the White House also said both countries agreed that “Iran can never have a nuclear weapon”.
The Strait of Hormuz has emerged as a key flashpoint amid tensions involving Iran, with disruptions to Gulf shipping routes contributing to higher global oil prices and concerns over energy supplies.
However, China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency issued a more restrained summary of the meeting, saying only that the two leaders exchanged views on international and regional issues, including the Middle East. The Chinese statement did not directly mention Iran, Hormuz or nuclear weapons.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio later said Washington had not asked Beijing to mediate with Iran, though China supported keeping the strategic waterway open and opposed any toll system on maritime traffic.
The leaders also discussed Taiwan, trade disputes and the case of jailed Hong Kong publisher Jimmy Lai, according to Rubio.
