U.S. Increases Pressure on China to Exert Influence Over Iran Ahead of Summit

"Urging Support for International Operations"

Ahead of the U.S.-China summit, the United States is intensifying pressure on China to exert its influence over Iran.

U.S. President Donald Trump (left) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (right). Photo by Yonhap News

According to local media reports on May 4 (local time), U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urged China to play a role in resolving the Strait of Hormuz blockade by Iran during an interview that day. Secretary Bessent stated, "We urge China to join us in supporting international operations," adding, "We will see if China puts diplomatic efforts into getting Iran to open the strait."

He further remarked, "Iran is the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism, and China has purchased 90% of Iran's energy, so China is effectively financing the largest state sponsor of terrorism."

Particularly, these remarks have drawn attention as they come just before the summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. This is significant, as the Iran war could rekindle tensions between the two countries.

Indeed, the United States has recently strengthened sanctions against China. Following last month's sanctions by the U.S. State Department and Treasury Department on Chinese oil refining giant Hengli Group for importing Iranian crude oil, on May 1, they also added shipping operators involved in importing Iranian petroleum products to the sanctions list.

China has also expressed discomfort with such pressure. According to China's Ministry of Commerce, it has instructed its domestic companies not to comply with U.S. sanctions.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.