China pressed to help reopen Strait of Hormuz before Trump-Xi summit
Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · May 6
China pressed to help reopen Strait of Hormuz before Trump-Xi summit
11 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · May 6
Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Beijing to press visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, while US officials also sought to stop China vetoing a new UN Security Council resolution.
Washington says Iran's two-month closure of the waterway is hurting Asia, especially China, which imports about half its crude oil and nearly one-third of its LNG from the Middle East.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Iran would feature at the Beijing summit, alongside Taiwan, as the US maintains sanctions on Chinese entities linked to Iranian oil trade.
With the world economy at risk, can China be forced to choose between its Iranian oil supply and U.S. demands?
Is the Iran crisis a strategic gift to China, allowing it to advance its ambitions for Taiwan?
As warships gather near the Strait of Hormuz, are the U.S. and Iran stumbling towards an all-out war?
The May 2026 US-China Summit: Navigating the Strait of Hormuz Crisis and Taiwan Tensions
Overview
In May 2026, the United States escalated diplomatic and military pressure on China to leverage its dominant economic ties with Iran and end Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil transit route. Iran's blockade triggered a historic global energy crisis, causing soaring oil prices and inflation worldwide. China, heavily dependent on Middle Eastern oil and Iran's largest crude buyer, faces a strategic dilemma: protect its energy interests and regional investments while avoiding US sanctions and conflict escalation. China and Pakistan proposed a diplomatic initiative for peace, but China links cooperation on Iran to US concessions on Taiwan. The upcoming US-China summit is pivotal in resolving this complex standoff amid high risks of military escalation and economic fallout.