U.S. President Donald Trump discussed the war in Iran and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz during a summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in an interview with NBC News on Thursday, adding that the United States is not asking Beijing for help regarding Iran, UNN reports.
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"The Chinese side stated that they do not support the militarization of the Strait of Hormuz, and they do not support the toll system, and that is our position," the top U.S. diplomat said in Beijing after Trump, Xi, and their delegations held more than two hours of talks.
During a wide-ranging interview, Rubio—who visited Beijing while under Chinese sanctions, in what appeared to be a first for a U.S. Secretary of State—said that Trump and Xi also discussed the island of Taiwan, which Beijing claims, and the case of Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy publisher in the Chinese territory of Hong Kong who was sentenced to 20 years in prison this year in a landmark national security trial.
Trump was expected to seek the Chinese leader's help in ending the war between the U.S. and Israel against Iran and resolving the standoff over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route whose effective closure by Iran has disrupted global energy supplies and led to rising gas prices. Trump credited China for Iran coming to the ceasefire negotiating table last month.
"We are not immune to the impact of global oil prices to some extent because we buy on the global market, but other countries in the world pay a much higher price," Rubio said, without referring specifically to China. "They must also step up."
But Trump "didn't ask him for anything," Rubio said.
"We are not asking China for help. We don't need their help," said Rubio, who has been under Chinese sanctions since 2020 due to his criticism of the country's human rights record.
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The war with Iran significantly impacted Trump's visit to China, leading to its six-week postponement. China, which has close ties with Iran, has criticized the U.S. and Israeli strikes that began on February 28 and called for a diplomatic solution to the war.
Rubio stated that "Trump and Xi found common ground on Iran, with China reiterating its opposition to Tehran's development of nuclear weapons."
The Chinese readout of the talks between Trump and Xi did not explicitly mention Iran, only noting that the two leaders "exchanged views on major international and regional issues, including the situation in the Middle East," according to Xinhua, China's state news agency.
Rubio defended comments Trump made earlier this week that he was "not at all" concerned about the financial pressure Americans face while negotiating with Iran.
"The President is making it clear that if the Iranians think they are going to use our domestic politics to force him into a bad deal, it's not going to happen," he said.