US President Donald Trump on Tuesday rejected suggestions that China has challenged his administration over the Iran war, highlighting his “very good relationship” with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping ahead of their planned summit next week.
Speaking at a White House fitness event, Trump told reporters that when it comes to Iran, “we haven’t been challenged by China. They don’t challenge us,” adding that Xi “wouldn’t do that – I don’t think he’d do that because of me.”
Iran is set to be on the agenda when Trump travels to Beijing for talks with Xi on May 14 and 15, which were rescheduled from their original late March date after the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran in a conflict that has spread across the Middle East.
“You know, in all fairness, he gets like 60 per cent of his oil from [the Strait of] Hormuz, and he’s been, I think he’s been very respectful,” Trump said about Xi, adding that “we’ve offered, you know, if he wants to send his ships to the United States.”
The strait, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil transits, has been effectively closed since the end of February, when the war began, sending oil prices soaring and disrupting supply chains.
“I think one of the big things that’s happened is I made a statement, send your ships to Texas. It’s not that much further,” Trump said. “Send your ships to Louisiana. Send your ships to Alaska. Alaska is actually very close to a lot of the Asian countries. People don’t realise it.”
Liu Pengyu, spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington, said China has maintained an “objective, impartial, and balanced stance” while advocating a ceasefire and an end to hostilities, adding that it will continue working alongside the international community to help restore peace and stability in the Middle East and Gulf regions.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a press briefing later on Tuesday that Taiwan “will be a topic of conversation” when Trump sits down with Xi, saying “the Chinese understand our position ... we understand theirs”.
“I think both countries understand that it is in neither one of our interests to see anything destabilising happen in that part of the world,” he said.
Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the United States, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-ruled island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons.
Washington was also expected to use the leaders summit to air human rights issues, Rubio said, but added that “it’s most effective to raise them in the appropriate setting”.
US suspends Project Freedom
At the briefing, Rubio pitched the American mission in the Strait of Hormuz – dubbed Project Freedom – as a defensive operation and a “favour to the world”, telling reporters that countries had asked Washington to help free their stranded ships.
He said the operation sought to “establish a zone of transit that is protected by a bubble [with US naval and air assets] and then allow ships who want to move to move through there and get to market”, calling it the “first step towards reopening the strait”.
Later on Tuesday evening, Trump announced a temporary pause in Project Freedom, claiming there had been significant progress made towards an agreement with Iranian representatives.
“Based on the request of Pakistan and other Countries, the tremendous Military Success that we have had during the Campaign against the Country of Iran and, additionally, the fact that Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran, we have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom (The Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz), will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed,” he said in a social media post.
At the earlier briefing, Rubio said “Operation Epic Fury”, the offensive that launched US and Israeli attacks on February 28, “is over”.
“The operation is over – Epic Fury – as the president notified Congress. We’re done with that stage of it,” the top US diplomat said.
Asked about China’s recent blocking of the US’ Iran-related sanctions on Chinese firms, Rubio warned that “if you ignore our sanctions, you’re going to face secondary sanctions”.
“Suffice it to say we’re serious about our sanctions,” he said.
With Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi due in China on Wednesday, Rubio said he hoped Beijing would tell Tehran it “should not be trying to hold the global economy hostage” and that it was “the bad guy”.
A day earlier, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urged China to ramp up diplomatic pressure and help reopen the strait.
“Let’s see [China] step up with some diplomacy and get the Iranians to open the strait,” Bessent said in an interview with Fox News. “Iran is the largest state sponsor of terrorism and China has been buying 90 per cent of their energy, so they are funding the largest state sponsor of terrorism.”
Earlier on Tuesday, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth insisted that the ceasefire with Iran was still in place, despite shots being fired in the strait.
“We’re not looking for a fight,” he said. “Right now the ceasefire certainly holds, but we’re going to be watching very, very closely.”
The country’s top military officer, General Dan Caine, who was appearing alongside Hegseth, said recent Iranian attacks were below the threshold of ending the ceasefire agreement.
“Since the ceasefire was announced, Iran has fired at commercial vessels nine times and seized two container ships, and they’ve attacked US forces more than 10 times, all below the threshold of restarting major combat operations at this point,” said Caine.
The US and Iran reached a ceasefire agreement on April 7 in a deal brokered by Pakistan for an initial two-week period, before extending it on April 21.
At the Oval Office, Trump was pressed on Tuesday about what would constitute a breach of the shaky ceasefire, given Iran had fired at several US ships, telling reporters: “Well, you’ll find out, because I’ll let you know.”
“They know what to do, and they know what not to do,” Trump added.
Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates, a key ally of Washington, said it had come under attack from Iranian missiles and drones for the second day in a row.
“The Ministry of Defense confirms that the sounds heard in scattered areas of the country are the result of the UAE’s air defence systems intercepting ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones,” the UAE ministry said on social media. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
