Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed interest in purchasing more American oil to reduce China’s reliance on Middle East energy supplies during his summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Beijing on Thursday. The disclosure came from a White House official following the first day of a two-day summit at the Great Hall of the People, as the two leaders held bilateral talks covering trade, Taiwan, and the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
“The two sides agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open to support the free flow of energy,” a White House official said. Xi, the official added, “also made clear China’s opposition to the militarization of the Strait and any effort to charge a toll for its use, and he expressed interest in purchasing more American oil to reduce China’s dependence on the Strait in the future.”
China’s official readout of the meeting told a different story. China’s official readout of the meeting did not include energy in the list of topics the two presidents discussed, although it did say they talked about the Middle East.
Taiwan Warning and Opening Remarks
Xi used his opening remarks to deliver a pointed message on Taiwan. Xi said Taiwan was the most important issue for U.S.-China relations, and if not handled well it would push the bilateral relationship to a “dangerous” place, according to state media. Beijing considers Taiwan, a democratically self-ruled island, part of its territory. The island’s ruling party rejects that claim.
Xi also framed the summit in sweeping historical terms. “The world has come to a new crossroads,” Xi said in opening remarks. “Can China and the United States overcome the so-called Thucydides Trap and create a new model of relations between major countries?”
Trump responded warmly. Trump hailed their “fantastic relationship” and said he had “such respect” for Xi and China, praising him as a “great leader.” He added that the U.S. delegation looked forward to discussing reciprocal trade, and that it was an “honor” to be there.
The closed-door session lasted roughly two hours and 15 minutes. The White House characterised the meeting as “good.” The two leaders subsequently visited Beijing’s historic Temple of Heaven together.
Iran and the Strait of Hormuz
The war with Iran cast a long shadow over the summit. Trump is expected to encourage Xi to push China-ally Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint vital to oil trade, and agree to a peace deal. China is Iran’s largest oil customer and holds significant leverage over Tehran.
Trump signalled before departing that he did not view Xi as essential to resolving the conflict. “I don’t think we need any help with Iran,” Trump told reporters before his flight to Beijing.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent took a harder line in the days before the summit. “The attacks from Iran have closed the strait. We are reopening it. So I would urge the Chinese to join us in supporting this international operation,” Bessent said, also pointing out that China is the top importer of Iranian oil and accusing Beijing of “funding the largest state sponsor of terrorism,” referring to Tehran.
The White House official notably did not say whether Xi had agreed to expand China’s involvement in helping to bring an end to the conflict.
Trade Delegation and Business Deals
The U.S. contingent included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, and business executives such as Tesla’s Elon Musk, Apple’s Tim Cook, and Nvidia’s Jensen Huang.
The Trump administration indicated ahead of the trip that it planned to press for greater Chinese purchases of American soybeans, Boeing aircraft, and other goods, while Beijing made it clear that the Taiwan issue would be front and centre on its agenda for the meeting.
Harvard professor Graham Allison, who popularised the term “Thucydides Trap,” offered his assessment of what the summit was likely to produce. “The big word will be stabilization. The truce that the two parties negotiated … will, I suspect, become a formal agreement,” Allison said on CNBC’s “The China Connection” on Thursday.
Regional and Global Impact
Analysts say China may seek changes in U.S. policy towards Taiwan if it were to pressure Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Beijing has so far avoided committing to concrete steps to end the conflict.
The U.S. and China agreed on the first day of the summit to forge more cooperative ties, according to Beijing’s official English readout, striving to build a “constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability,” which will serve as a guiding framework for the next three years and beyond.
In April, Xi had proposed a “four-point plan to safeguard and promote Middle East peace and stability,” reflecting a preference for multilateralism and diplomacy in contrast with Trump’s reliance on military power.
Background
Just over a year ago, the U.S.-China relationship was far rockier. Trump’s tariffs sparked a tit-for-tat trade war, leading the two countries to briefly jack up tariffs on each other’s goods to over 100%. China and the U.S. also squared off over rare earth elements, semiconductors, student visas, fentanyl precursor chemicals, and Chinese soybean imports. Tensions eased after both sides scaled back tariffs and Beijing agreed to halt export restrictions on rare earths. China is the world’s largest importer of oil, with Iran and the broader Middle East supplying a significant share of its crude needs. The Strait of Hormuz handles approximately 20% of global oil flows, making its closure during the Iran war a direct economic threat to Beijing.
What Happens Next
Xi is expected to reciprocate Trump’s trip with a visit to the United States. The two leaders could also meet alongside APEC and G20 events in China and the U.S. later in the year. The summit continues through Friday, with further talks on trade, tariffs, and security expected. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has floated the idea of a U.S.-China “Board of Trade” to coordinate trade deals. Whether Xi will take any formal steps to pressure Iran over the Strait of Hormuz remains unconfirmed following the first day of talks.
