The President of the United States, Donald Trump, in his recent meeting with the President of China, Xi Jinping, in Washington, warned about China's support for Iran and received assurances that Beijing would not provide such support. This warning came in light of reports regarding the supply of surface-to-air missiles by China to Iran, and Tehran had sought China's help to circumvent sanctions on its oil sales.
Details of Trump and Xi's Negotiations
David Perdue, Trump's ambassador to Beijing, stated in a television interview that Trump emphasized to Xi that any direct or indirect support for Iran is "completely unacceptable." Perdue also mentioned that Washington received assurances from Beijing on this matter. He noted: "We are witnessing movements in this regard. This is a commitment they made to us yesterday and assured that they would not provide such assistance to Iran."
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Potential Consequences of China's Support for Iran
Trump also referred in this meeting to the war that the United States and Israel began against Iran in late February, without providing further details. U.S. lawmakers were concerned that China's support for Iran might lead to American casualties in these conflicts. Meanwhile, Chinese officials assured Iran that even after the Trump-Xi meeting, Beijing would not limit its economic, political, and military relations with Tehran under the pressures from the U.S. President.
Reports indicate that Iran expects to receive the first shipment of a total of 400 Chinese surface-to-air missiles in the coming weeks. Additionally, Iran has used a similar exchange method to circumvent sanctions and has purchased billions of dollars worth of goods from China, including military equipment.
Xi Jinping also called on the United States and Iran on Thursday to return to negotiations to end the war, although he did not publicly comment on China's support for Iran. Trump and Xi did not respond to formal questions during this three-day meeting.
Earlier this month, Trump dismissed a report that Iran had obtained satellite images of a base in Jordan from Chinese entities prior to an attack that resulted in the deaths of three American soldiers there. He told reporters: "They essentially act like us. When they say China is spying on us, I say that's true, and we spy on them too."
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