White House: Trump and Xi Jinping Agree Strait of Hormuz Must Remain Open

The White House has revealed that US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed that the Strait of Hormuz “must remain open” during their talks in Beijing. The White House described the meeting between the two leaders as “good”. “Both sides agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open to support the free flow of energy,” the White House said in its statement, as reported by AFP on Thursday (14/5/2026). The situation in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding areas has heated up since the war between the US and Israel against Iran erupted at the end of February. Tehran blocked transit activities in the Strait of Hormuz – which is normally crossed by one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas shipments – while the war was ongoing. The US responded by imposing a naval blockade on Iranian ports, although a fragile ceasefire has been in place since 8 April. China has been directly affected by the lack of oil supplies crossing the Strait of Hormuz. According to maritime analyst firm Kpler, more than half of the crude oil imported by sea by Beijing comes from the Middle East and mostly transits through the strait. The White House claimed in its statement that Xi expressed interest in buying more American oil to reduce China’s dependence on the Strait of Hormuz in the future. However, Beijing’s official statement on the meeting between the two leaders did not mention any such interest. China’s Foreign Ministry in its statement only mentioned that Xi and Trump discussed the war in the Middle East, the Ukraine conflict, and issues on the Korean Peninsula during their meeting in Beijing. “The two heads of state exchanged views on major international and regional issues, including the situation in the Middle East, the Ukraine crisis, and the Korean Peninsula,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said. The meeting between the two leaders was held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing during Trump’s delayed state visit. This is the first visit by a US President to China in the last decade. Xi welcomed Trump with a red carpet and a grand welcoming ceremony on Thursday (14/5) morning. Beginning with a handshake, the two held a meeting after the welcoming ceremony. The White House, in its statement, said that Trump and Xi had a “good” meeting in Beijing. “President Trump held a good meeting with President Xi of China. Both sides discussed ways to enhance economic cooperation,” the White House said. The White House statement did not mention discussions on Taiwan, which is a sensitive issue in US-China relations. Chinese state media had previously reported that Xi warned Trump about potential “conflict” between Beijing and Washington if the Taiwan issue is not handled properly.