U.S. President Donald Trump told the Financial Times that he might postpone an upcoming summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping while he presses China to take action over disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz linked to Iran.
In the interview, Mr. Trump argued that nations benefiting from the strait should assist to ensure its security, saying: "It’s only appropriate that people who are the beneficiaries of the Strait (of Hormuz) will help to make sure that nothing bad happens there."
The president’s remarks came a day after he appealed for a coordinated effort from China, France, Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom to reopen the strait - a waterway through which at least 20% of the world’s oil supply passes, according to the reporting.
Earlier this month, Iran effectively blocked the strait after the U.S. and Israel launched an offensive against Tehran. Iran was seen attacking vessels in and around the corridor and has indicated it will keep the strait closed until hostilities against the country stop. The article notes that Iran is a major oil supplier to China.
Addressing China directly, Mr. Trump told the Financial Times: "I think China should help too because China gets 90 per cent of its oil from the Straits. Waiting until the summit would be too late."
The president’s comments follow high-level discussions between U.S. and Chinese officials held in Paris over the weekend. Prior to the remarks, Mr. Trump had been scheduled to meet President Xi at a summit in Beijing in late-March.
In the same interview, Mr. Trump warned of a "very bad" future for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization if European countries did not join what he described as his war effort in Iran, flagging concerns about alliance cohesion tied to participation in military actions related to the conflict.
The statements tie diplomatic timing and alliance dynamics directly to developments in the Middle East and signal an administration willingness to condition an upcoming bilateral summit on concrete cooperation from Beijing regarding maritime security and energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz.