United States President Donald Trump may delay his visit to China, at the end of the month, while ramping up pressure on Beijing to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the Financial Times has reported.
Trump has told the newspaper, which interviewed him on Sunday, that China relies heavily on oil from the Middle East, and that means it "ought to help" to get the oil tanker traffic moving through the strait. "We may delay," he told the FT, while asserting that Washington would like to know before the trip whether Beijing will help.
Trump also spoke to reporters onboard Air Force One, while he was returning to Washington from Florida, and said, "China's an interesting case study," he said, noting its reliance on Gulf oil. "So I said, 'Would you like to come in?' and we'll find out. Maybe they will, maybe they won't."
Despite Trump's remarks, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said that the move to delay the President's visit to China was not to put pressure on Beijing, but because of the war. He said that the delay would not be because of disagreements over the Iran war or efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Also Read: Trump's Warning To NATO Amid Iran War: Very Bad Future If Allies Don't Help Open Strait of Hormuz
"If the meeting for some reason was rescheduled, it would be rescheduled because of logistics," he said. "The president wants to remain in D.C. to coordinate the war, and travelling abroad at a time like this may not be optimal."
Bessent's remarks come from Paris, where he was meeting the Chinese Vice-Premier, He Lifeng, for a new round of trade talks, meant to pave the way for Trump's Beijing visit.
China's response to the Trump threat has been restrained and measured. A foreign ministry spokesperson just said that the two countries have maintained communication on Trump's visit. "Head-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role in China-U.S. relations," Lin Jian said at a daily briefing.
President Trump has also threatened NATO members with a "very bad future" for the alliance if they do not come to Washington's aid in a bid to open the Strait of Hormuz.
Germany and the United Kingdom have been explicit on not being a part of this war in West Asia. Keir Stramer, the British Prime Minister, said he was working with allies on a plan to reopen the Strait, but "will not be drawn into the wider war".
Germany has made clear that it won't take part in the war or keep the Strait open through military means. Greece, also a part of NATO, has said it will not engage in any military actions (in the Strait).
Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz, the maritime choke point responsible for the transportation of more than 20% of the world's oil. The closure has pushed oil prices across the world to skyrocket, with a barrel reaching as far as $120 a barrel before falling back.
A continuous closure of the Strait, experts feel, will be a catastrophe for the world economy.
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