Trump says Beijing opposes Iranian toll in Hormuz, as Chinese vessels exit waterway

Trump says Beijing opposes Iranian toll in Hormuz, as Chinese vessels exit waterway Submitted by Sean Mathews on Thu, 05/14/2026 - 21:03 The White House said Beijing would buy more oil from the US to reduce its dependence on Gulf supplies The Epaminondas ship is seen during seizure by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the Strait of Hormuz, in this image obtained by Reuters, on 24 April 2026 (Meysam Mirzadeh/Tasnim/West Asia News Agency) Off Chinese President Xi Jinping opposes Iran charging a toll in the Strait of Hormuz and is considering buying more oil from the US to replace lost volume from the Gulf, the White House said on Thursday, following a meeting between President Donald Trump and Xi. The statement came as Xi hosted Trump, senior US officials and business leaders for an elaborate state dinner on Thursday. The leaders of the world’s two largest economies appeared to put aside differences on hot spots such as Taiwan and Iran, at least in public, to focus on business deals. Trump told Fox News that Xi offered to help end the US-Israeli war on Iran, as he downplayed tensions over Chinese ties with Tehran. "He said he's not going to give military equipment… he said that strongly," Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity, after the two leaders met. "He'd like to see the Hormuz Strait open, and said 'if I can be of any help whatsoever, I would like to help'," Trump added. Middle East Eye was the first to report that China provided air defence systems to Iran, following its June 2025 conflict with Israel and the US. On the cusp of the 2026 attack, China supplied Iran with kamikaze drones, MEE reported. The New York Times subsequently reported that shipments of C...

Original source: Middle East Eye