China is Iran’s largest trading partner and the primary buyer of its oil, although it has largely remained on the sidelines of the latest Middle East conflict.
Trump said that Beijing intended to continue to buy US-sanctioned oil from Iran, which the President suggested he did not challenge.
Earlier reports suggested that the Chinese leader had expressed some interest in buying oil from the US.
Trump also said that Xi had offered to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, adding: “He’d like to see Hormuz Strait opened ... He didn’t like the fact that they are charging tolls. He said, ‘If I can be of any help whatsoever, I would like to help’.”
Trump also suggested China had agreed to order 200 Boeing jets, marking the country’s first purchase of US-made commercial jets in nearly a decade.
Few details about the deal have been revealed, but Boeing shares fell more than 4% after the comments were aired, suggesting investors had expected a bigger order.
The two leaders rounded off the first full day of a closely watched summit in the Chinese capital with an opulent banquet in the Great Hall of the People attended by top leaders and American business figures, including Elon Musk and Apple’s Tim Cook.
- The Telegraph
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