The takeaway from theTrump-Xi meetingwas a number of statements made by Xi Jinping to President Trump. Mainstream media claimed that Trump made a bad deal because he foolishly believed Xi’s words. In reality, there was no deal. Trumpyielded nothing. And Xi’s words in this case are consistent with Beijing’s previous policies.
According to the White House statement and President Trump’s media interviews, Xi told Trump that Iran must never obtain a nuclear weapon. He also said that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open, that China opposes militarization of the Strait, and that China opposes any tolling system on the Strait. Xi further stated that China would not provide military equipment to Iran.
The White House statement claims China agreed that Iran must never obtain a nuclear weapon. Instead, according toAl Jazeera, the Chinese statement calls for steady de-escalation, a political settlement, and dialogue “that accommodates the concerns of all parties” on the Iranian nuclear issue.
Despite the somewhat more ambiguous language reported by Al Jazeera, the position is consistent with longstanding Chinese policy. TheU.S.-China Economicand Security Review Commission confirms that Beijing has opposed Iran developing nuclear weapons and supported the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Beijing’s ownFive-Point Propositionon the Iranian nuclear issue, issued by Foreign Minister Wang Yi in March 2025, called on Iran to honor “its commitment to not developing nuclear weapons” while preserving its right to peaceful nuclear energy under the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Chatham House notes that Beijing’s concern about anuclear-armed Iranstems in part from the risk of a regional war that would block vital shipping lanes and disrupt Gulf oil imports, which points directly to why China’s stated desire to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is credible, if self-interested.
China is a net oil importer. The United States is a net exporter. The closure of the Strait has, paradoxically, benefited the U.S., increasing both the volume and revenue of American oil and natural gas exports to Europe.
China, however, depends on imported oil to sustain its manufacturing sector, where industrial profit margins have been declining steadily since the trade war began during Trump’s first term and are now paper-thin. A 10 to 20 percent increase in energy costs could eliminate those margins entirely.
And this leads into the discussion of the IRGC imposing a tolling system, which Xi claims to oppose. What China would prefer, and what it appeared to pursue in the early weeks of the war, was preferential access. Beijing wanted the Strait open for Chinese vessels but effectively closed to others. That arrangement has proven unachievable.
Iran, despite repeated assurances, has not granted Chinese ships free transit, and the U.S. naval blockade has largely severed the flow of Iranian oil to Chinese buyers regardless. Trump understands that China would resume purchasing Iranian oil the moment it became physically possible to do so. For now, it is not.
Source: The Gateway Pundit
