The American president will return with encouraging words from Xi Jinping on the crisis in the Middle East, he said in an interview with Fox News. Xi Jinping strongly stated that he would not provide military equipment to Iran, according to President Trump. Regarding the Strait of Hormuz, “If I can be of any help, I will be happy to assist,” assured Donald Trump. Beijing demanded a complete ceasefire in the Middle East on Friday and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz “as soon as possible,” in a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the sidelines of the summit. It was stated that the conflict should never have occurred and that China would continue to play a constructive role in peace efforts.
Commercial and energy stakes
Donald Trump also reported the promise of purchase, made by his host according to him, of 200 “large” Boeing aircraft. This is significant, but smaller than the order for 500 narrow-body 737 MAX planes and around a hundred wide-body aircraft (787 Dreamliner and 777) that has been talked about in the press for months. He also assured that China wanted to buy American oil and agricultural products, without providing specific numbers. China is a strategic and vital economic partner for Iran, which allocates the majority of its oil exports to them.
It is directly affected by the near-closure, due to the Iranian and American blockades, of the Strait of Hormuz through which a large part of its hydrocarbon acquisitions pass, from Iran as well as other Gulf countries. Iran announced on Thursday, during the summit in Beijing, that its forces allowed several Chinese ships to pass. Washington would like to see Beijing use its influence on Tehran to help resolve the crisis in the Gulf. While engaging diplomatically, Beijing has so far exercised great restraint.
The situation in the Middle East is one of the areas of tension that the summit is intended to reduce, if not dispel. They are numerous: Iran, Taiwan, trade relations, restrictions on access to rare earths and semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), and intellectual property. They were openly discussed on Thursday with a strong warning from the Chinese president about the risk of “conflict” between China and the United States over Taiwan. Xi Jinping’s statements dominated the first day of the visit.
“The most ingenious country on the planet”
Competition – strategic, commercial, technological – is extensive, and China seems to be counting on a decline of the United States, subtly alluded to by Xi Jinping himself when he mentioned the Greek historian Thucydides, a theorist of the risk of war when an emerging power rivals a dominant power. Donald Trump responded Thursday evening in a message on his Truth Social platform. “President Xi very elegantly referred to the United States as possibly being a nation in decline,” he said. However, he believes the strongman of Beijing was thinking about the United States under his predecessor Joe Biden, not the current America.
“Two years ago, we were indeed a declining nation. Today, the United States is the most ingenious country on the planet,” he said. Since Donald Trump’s return to the White House, China and the United States have been engaged in a bitter trade war with global repercussions, using exorbitant tariffs and multiple restrictions. Donald Trump and Xi Jinping reached a truce in October. But this commercial ceasefire remains exposed to the imposition of new American tariffs proposed by Donald Trump. Currently, the global economy and China are feeling the effects of the war led by Donald Trump with Israel against Iran.
