Trump claims he is reopening Strait of Hormuz, says 'China is very happy'

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (local time) said that China is very happy that the Strait of Hormuz is being opened permanently, adding that his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, will give him a "big, fat hug" during his upcoming visit to China.

In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote, "China is very happy that I am permanently opening the Strait of Hormuz. I am doing it for them, also - And the World. This situation will never happen again. They have agreed not to send weapons to Iran. President Xi will give me a big, fat hug when I get there in a few weeks. We are working together smartly and very well! Doesn’t that beat fighting??? BUT REMEMBER, we are very good at fighting, if we have to - far better than anyone else!!!"

Trump-Xi Jinping exchange letters amid Iran war

He added that China has committed not to supply weapons to Iran, nearly a week after reports citing US intelligence claimed that Beijing is preparing to send weapons to help Tehran as the two-week ceasefire was in place. As per a CNN report, Tehran has been using the two-week ceasefire with the US as an opportunity to replenish its weapons. After hearing reports of Beijing's military support for Tehran, Trump stated, "I had heard that China's giving weapons to- I mean, you're seeing it all over the place- to Iran."

He added that he subsequently engaged the Chinese President to address the issue: "And I wrote him a letter asking him not to do that, and he wrote me a letter saying that essentially he's not doing that."

His remarks came ahead of his scheduled visit to China from the 14th and 15th of May, where he will meet Xi Jinping for a summit. The meeting will be the second between the two leaders since Trump returned to the White House last year in January. The first meeting was held in October last year in South Korea's Busan on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

Trump threatened 50% tariffs

Previously, the US President threatened to impose an immediate 50 per cent tariff on goods from countries that were supplying weapons to Tehran, a move that could upend the US-China trade ties if he follows through. According to a Bloomberg report, while Beijing does not ship arms directly to Tehran, it does provide the Islamic Republic with dual-use technology.

Xi Jinping issues first remarks on US-Iran conflict

On Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping issued his first public statement on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and said, "The international order is crumbling into disarray," and urged all parties in the conflict to show restraint. In a thinly-veiled criticism of the US, Xi noted, "To maintain the authority of international rule of law, we cannot use it when it suits us and abandon it when it doesn’t."

According to The New York Times, while Beijing has condemned the US-Israeli war on Iran, it has also tried to maintain a neutral stance as it balances its partnership with Tehran and manages tensions with Washington. Trump is set to visit Beijing in May, where he is expected to discuss extending a truce in the US-China trade war.

Xi Jinping's remarks are in addition to the meetings and calls held by senior Chinese officials in the last few days, underscoring Beijing's active role in trying to build on the two-week ceasefire that the US and Israel struck with the Islamic Republic last week.

Beijing is heavily reliant on the Strait of Hormuz for its oil imports, which have been effectively shut by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) days after the US and Israel started their war in late February.