On Monday, China said it is in communication with the United States about the upcoming Trump-Xi Summit, after Trump threatened to delay the trip over the Strait of Hormuz. It also suggested that sanctions previously imposed on U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio are no longer in effect.
Trump said that he expects countries that rely on oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz to help secure it, in comments published by the Financial Times on Sunday. He claimed that his administration is in contact with seven nations regarding the matter.
“I think China should help too because China gets 90% of its oil from the Straits,” Trump told the newspaper, adding he would prefer to know Beijing’s position before the planned visit. “We may delay,” Trump said of the trip.
The White House had previously announced that Trump would travel to China from March 31st to April 2nd, for a highly anticipated summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
When questioned about Trump’s remarks during a regular press conference, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said, “Head of state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable role in providing strategic guidance to China-U.S. relations.”
Both sides are in communication about the trip, Lin added.
China Removes Rubio Sanctions
Beijing has also signalled that Marco Rubio, who is expected to accompany Trump to the summit, would be allowed into the country despite previous sanctions imposed on him in 2020 over remarks about Hong Kong and Xinjiang when he was a U.S. Senator.
“China’s sanctions were aimed at Mr Rubio’s words and deeds concerning China during his tenure in the United States Senate,” Lin said, when asked if the sanctions would affect Rubio’s ability to travel to China.
Chinese and U.S. officials are set to meet in Paris this week, with potential areas of agreement in agriculture, critical minerals and managed trade that Trump and Xi could take up during the summit in Beijing.
(With inputs from Reuters)
