Beijing Wants Strait of Hormuz Open Without Tolls or Military Curbs, US Says

China has communicated to the United States that its goal is to reopen the Strait of Hormuz without imposing any transit tolls or military restrictions, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer revealed on Friday. The disclosure came following a summit in Beijing between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, where Greer noted Beijing would take practical steps to reduce its military support for Iran.

Speaking in a live interview with Bloomberg Television from Beijing, where he was attending the summit meetings, Greer stated: "It is really important for China that the Strait of Hormuz be open, with no tolls or military control, and that came through from the meeting. So we welcome that." He added that the American perspective is that the Chinese "are acting very practically and do not want to be on the wrong side of this."

"They want peace to prevail in that region. President Trump wants peace to prevail in that region. So we are very confident that they will do what they can to limit any kind of material support to Iran," Greer continued.

Bessent: China's Interest Lies in an Open Strait

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent echoed the sentiment on Thursday, asserting that China stands to gain significantly from opening the Strait of Hormuz and expressing his belief that Beijing would exert its utmost effort to achieve this. Bessent made his remarks in an interview with CNBC, as reported by Reuters, stating: "I think they will do everything they can… it is in China's profound interest to open the strait, and I think they will work behind the scenes with any party that has influence over the Iranian leadership."

Bessent, who is accompanying President Trump on his visit to Beijing, characterized the current oil supply shock as "transitory," explaining that falling oil prices would automatically lead to a decrease in inflation. The Treasury Secretary predicted that oil prices would decline over the next six months.