Trump to pressure China over Iranian oil purchases in Beijing
Photo: US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump will arrive in Beijing on Wednesday for talks with Xi Jinping. The main topics will be the Iran conflict, China’s purchase of Iranian oil, and trade relations. US officials have warned that Trump will put pressure on Beijing, according to Al Jazeera.
Visit itinerary
An opening ceremony and talks are scheduled for Thursday. The visit will conclude on Friday. Later this year, China is set to make a reciprocal visit to the US. The trip, which had been planned earlier, was postponed in March due to the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran.
Iran and oil
Washington accuses Beijing of financing Iran through large-scale oil purchases.
"Iran is the largest state sponsor of terrorism, and China has been buying 90 percent of their energy, so they are funding the largest state sponsor of terrorism," says US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
An anonymous administration official says that Trump may put pressure on China regarding the purchase of Iranian oil and the supply of dual-use goods to Tehran. China, for its part, refuses to recognize US unilateral sanctions against the Iranian oil sector.
Other topics
In addition to Iran, the talks may address China’s support for Russia, trade relations, and rare earth metals, a critically important resource for the US technology sector. The issue of Taiwan remains unchanged. No revision of the US position is expected.
Top executives from Boeing and several agribusiness companies are traveling to Beijing with the US delegation.
Due to the war in Iran, global oil reserves are depleting at an unprecedented rate, as supplies from the Persian Gulf have dropped significantly, according to Bloomberg.
Meanwhile, Taiwan has scaled back its arms procurement package from the US. The State Department viewed this as a concession to China. Previously, the Taiwanese government had signed six major deals with Washington totaling more than $6.6 billion. The list included HIMARS systems, M109A7 Paladin self-propelled howitzers, replenishment of the missile arsenal, and more.
In addition, as the NYT reported, Taiwan is increasingly concerned about its own security amid the threat from China and seeks to draw on Ukraine's military experience.
