In an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity Thursday from Beijing, President Trump said that during their summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping assured him that China would not provide military equipment to Iran for its war in the Middle East.
Asked by Hannity how big of a discussion the two leaders had regarding China’s support for Iran, Mr. Trump responded, “We discussed it. When you say support, they’re [China] not fighting a war with us or anything.”
According to Mr. Trump, Xi told him that he’s “not going to give [Iran] military equipment. That’s a big statement. He said that today. That’s a big statement. He said that strongly.”
Last month, CBS News reported that U.S. intelligence agencies had detected signs that China was weighing whether to provide the Iranian regime with advanced radar systems.
Mr. Trump disclosed that Xi also noted to him how much China depends on the oil and gas it imports from Iran.
“But at the same time, he said, you know, they buy a lot of their oil there, they would like to keep doing that,” Mr. Trump said. “He’d like to see the Hormuz strait opened,” adding that Xi “didn’t like the fact that they’re [Iran] charging tolls. I don’t know if they are or not.”
According to analysts at maritime intelligence company Lloyd’s List, early in the war, Iran had been using Larak Island, which is located a few miles off Iran’s coast, as a tolling stop for tankers.
Per the congressional U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, China purchases about 90% of the oil that Iran exports.
And according to analysis from Det Norske Veritas, an independent global assurance and risk management provider, prior to the Iran war, China imported 70% of its oil and gas, the majority of which came through the Persian Gulf.
