China issued an official statement Wednesday calling for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. While the statement reiterated Beijing's existing position, it drew attention as the first official Chinese stance on the strait's reopening following the U.S.-China summit on Tuesday. After the summit, the United States announced that both countries had agreed on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, but China did not issue a related position, prompting observations that the two nations remained on parallel tracks over the Iran issue.
Asked at a press briefing Wednesday morning whether the two sides had discussed the Iran situation, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "Iran should promptly reopen the (Hormuz) shipping route to respond to the demands of the international community and jointly safeguard the stable and smooth flow of global production and supply chains." The ministry added, "Through dialogue and negotiation, a solution must be reached that reflects in a balanced manner the concerns of all parties surrounding the Iranian nuclear issue and other matters."
This marks the first time China has provided relatively specific details about its discussions with the United States on the Iran issue following the summit. Although it largely repeated Beijing's existing arguments, the statement aligns with the "agreement to maintain the opening of the Strait of Hormuz" disclosed by Washington the previous day. In its summit coverage Tuesday, Xinhua News Agency only stated that the two leaders had exchanged views on the Middle East situation. In Chinese diplomatic parlance, "exchanging views" is typically used when both sides merely explain their respective positions.
The United States has released several details on the Iran-related agreement since Tuesday. The White House said in a press release on the summit outcome that the two sides agreed to keep the Strait of Hormuz open and also agreed to disallow Iran's nuclear armament. President Donald Trump, in an interview with Fox News during his visit to China, said Chinese President Xi Jinping had expressed willingness to help keep the Strait of Hormuz open. Trump also claimed that while China wants to continue purchasing Iranian oil, Beijing pledged not to provide military support to Iran. China has remained silent on the weapons sales claim.
Meanwhile, Trump and Xi are scheduled to wrap up the China visit after a tea meeting and luncheon at Zhongnanhai on Wednesday. Attention is focused on whether additional outcomes will be unveiled. In particular, observers are watching for specifics on the establishment of a trade and investment committee and the creation of a formal cooperation framework to discuss artificial intelligence (AI) safety and the control of non-state actors, as mentioned by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in a CNBC interview Tuesday.
With Xi reportedly signaling expanded purchases of Boeing aircraft, soybeans and beef, attention is also focused on whether specific figures will emerge regarding soybean purchases, which are directly tied to Trump's political base. The Bank of China's governor announced Tuesday that he had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the U.S. Soybean Export Council, indicating that contacts to expand actual purchases are underway. However, some point out that large-scale additional purchases will not be easy, as China primarily uses soybeans as feed for pigs, and a sharp drop in pork prices has prompted China to reduce its pig herd for the first time since February 2024.
