President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping found common ground on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, according to the White House.
A White House statement posted to X said Xi and Trump had “a good meeting” and noted that “the two sides agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open to support the free flow of energy.”
“President Xi also made clear China’s opposition to the militarization of the Strait and any effort to charge a toll for its use, and he expressed interest in purchasing more American oil to reduce China’s dependence on the Strait in the future,” the statement said.
From the Bilateral Meeting in Beijing:
President Trump had a good meeting with President Xi of China. pic.twitter.com/WaH8hR1ZV3
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 14, 2026
“Both countries agreed that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon,” the statement added.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Xi and Trump oppose the offers Iran has made.
“The Chinese side said they are not in favor of militarizing the Straits of Hormuz, and they’re not in favor of a tolling system, and that’s our position,” Rubio said, according to NBC News.
Rubio noted that nations which get their oil from Iran need to become active to ensure the strait remains open.
“We are not immune to global oil prices at some point, because we do buy from the global market, but other countries around the world are paying a much higher price,” Rubio said. “They’ve got to get involved in this as well.”
Trump “didn’t ask him for anything,” Rubio said, speaking of Xi.
“We’re not asking for China’s help. We don’t need their help,” Rubio continued.
Trump, in fact, said it was Xi who offered to help, according to CBS News.
“President Xi would like to see a deal made,” Trump said. “He would like to see a deal made. And he did offer, he said, ‘If I can be of any help at all, I would like to be of help.’”
“Look, anybody that buys that much oil has obviously got some kind of relationship with them, but he said, ‘I would love to be of help, if I can be of any help whatsoever.’ He’d like to see the Hormuz Strait open,” Trump said.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent offered similar comments to CNBC.
“It’s very much in their interest to get the strait reopened,” Bessent said.
“I think they will be working behind the scenes to the extent anyone has any say over the Iranian leadership,” he said.
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