The White House says United States President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping have agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open, amid growing tensions tied to the ongoing Iran conflict.
According to a statement released after their meeting in Beijing on Thursday, both leaders stressed the need to keep the strategic waterway open to ensure the uninterrupted flow of global energy supplies.
“The two sides agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open to support the free flow of energy,” the White House said.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most critical shipping routes, carrying roughly one-fifth of global oil and gas supplies.
It has been heavily affected since the outbreak of the Iran war in February, with shipping disruptions and rising energy costs feeding into global market uncertainty.
China is especially exposed to the situation, as more than half of its seaborne crude imports come from the Middle East and pass through the strait, according to maritime data.
The White House also said Xi signaled interest in increasing purchases of U.S. oil as a way to reduce China’s dependence on the route over time.
However, Beijing’s official readout of the talks did not confirm that position.
Notably, the statement made no mention of Taiwan, despite earlier warnings from Xi about potential conflict if the issue is mishandled during U.S.-China relations.
The meeting comes as both countries attempt to manage trade tensions while also navigating the wider geopolitical fallout of the Iran conflict, which has already disrupted global shipping and pushed energy markets higher.
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