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President Donald Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping has said he will not provide military equipment to Iran, which has been a central focus of the high-stakes meeting marking a possible win for the Trump administration.
Xi “said he’s not going to give military equipment. That’s a big statement. He said that today. That’s a big statement. (He) said that strongly,” Trump said to Fox News host Sean Hannity Thursday.
The pledge comes as the Trump administration increasingly has cast China not just as an economic rival, but as a key enabler of adversarial regimes, with Beijing’s economic and material support for Iran emerging as a central focus of this week’s high-stakes talks with Xi.
U.S. officials have increasingly accused China of helping prop up Iran’s military and economic strength through oil purchases, dual-use exports and intermediary networks.
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Trump added that Xi also offered to help end the conflict.
“He said, if I can be of any help at all, I would like to be of help,” Trump said.
Xi “said he’s not going to give military equipment. That’s a big statement. He said that today. That’s a big statement. (He) said that strongly,” Trump said. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)
The White House and Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment on the matter.
“But at the same time, he said, you know, they buy a lot of their oil there, and they’d like to keep doing that. He’d like to see Hormuz Strait opened,” said Trump. “I said, well, we didn’t stop it. They did it.”
TRUMP HEADS TO BEIJING FOR HIGH-STAKES XI TALKS AS TAIWAN TENSIONS, TRADE DISPUTES TEST US STRENGTH
China heavily relies on Iranian oil imports purchasing around $31 billion to $32 billion of Iranian crude annually, according to Reuters.
President Donald Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping has said he will not provide…
