Trump and Xi Exit Meeting in Agreement on Strait of Hormuz
Donald Trump and China’s Xi jinping reportedly agreed to keep the Strait of Hormuz open to ensure the uninterrupted flow of energy. A White House statement said Xi reaffirmed China’s opposition to militarizing the strait and to imposing any tolling system, and expressed interest in helping reduce China’s future dependence on the strait by purchasing more U.S. oil.
The statement also said both sides agreed Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon. U.S. officials,including Secretary of State Marco Rubio,said China shares the position against militarization and tolls,and urged countries that rely on Iranian oil to take steps to keep the strait open. rubio added that the U.S. is not seeking China’s help directly, though reporting from Trump-era remarks suggests Xi offered assistance to reach a deal.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent similarly suggested it is in China’s interest to reopen the strait and that China would work behind the scenes regarding the Iranian leadership.
President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping found common ground on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, according to the White House.
A White House statement posted to X said Xi and Trump had “a good meeting” and noted that “the two sides agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open to support the free flow of energy.”
“President Xi 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,” the statement said.
From the Bilateral Meeting in Beijing:
President Trump had a good meeting with President Xi of China. pic.twitter.com/WaH8hR1ZV3
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 14, 2026
“Both countries agreed that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon,” the statement added.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Xi and Trump oppose the offers Iran has made.
“The Chinese side said they are not in favor of militarizing the Straits of Hormuz, and they’re not in favor of a tolling system, and that’s our position,” Rubio said, according to NBC News.
Rubio noted that nations which get their oil from Iran need to become active to ensure the strait remains open.
“We are not immune to global oil prices at some point, because we do buy from the global market, but other countries around the world are paying a much higher price,” Rubio said. “They’ve got to get involved in this as well.”
Trump “didn’t ask him for anything,” Rubio said, speaking of Xi.
“We’re not asking for China’s help. We don’t need their help,” Rubio continued.
Trump, in fact, said it was Xi who offered to help, according to CBS News.
“President Xi would like to see a deal made,” Trump said. “He would like to see a deal made. And he did offer, he said, ‘If I can be of any help at all, I would like to be of help.’”
“Look, anybody that buys that much oil has obviously got some kind of relationship with them, but he said, ‘I would love to be of help, if I can be of any help whatsoever.’ He’d like to see the Hormuz Strait open,” Trump said.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent offered similar comments to CNBC.
“It’s very much in their interest to get the strait reopened,” Bessent said.
“I think they will be working behind the scenes to the extent anyone has any say over the Iranian leadership,” he said.
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