Finding a way to resolve situation is in US, Iran, and rest of world’s interest, says Chinese Foreign Ministry
Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks during a meeting with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of their visit to the Zhongnanhai Garden in Beijing, China, May 15, 2026. PHOTO: REUTERS
China said Friday that there was “no point in continuing” the Iran war as Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted his US counterpart Donald Trump on the final day of their Beijing summit.
“There is no point in continuing this conflict, which should not have happened in the first place,” said a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson in response to a question on whether the two sides discussed Iran and about Beijing’s position on the war.
“To find an early way to resolve the situation is in the interest of not only the US and Iran, but also regional countries and the rest of the world,” the spokesperson said.
Read: US House narrowly rejects bid to rein in Trump Iran war powers
As the door to dialogue has now been opened, “it should not be shut again,” the spokesperson said, urging efforts to maintain momentum toward de-escalation and pursue a political settlement, as well as dialogue and consultation to reach an agreement on the Iranian nuclear issue and other concerns.
The spokesperson also stressed the importance of reopening shipping lanes “as soon as possible to respond to the call of the international community and jointly keep the global supply chains stable and unimpeded.”
“It is important to reach a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire as soon as possible, enable peace and stability to return to the Middle East and Gulf region at an early date, and lay the foundation for building a sustainable security architecture for the region,” the spokesperson added.
Trump said Thursday in an interview with FOX News Hannity program that Xi “would like to see a deal made.”
“He said, ‘If I can be of any help at all, I would like to be of help.’ Anybody that buys that much oil has obviously got some kind of relationship, but he’d like to see the Hormuz Strait open,” Trump added.
Trump’s visit to China comes amid the ongoing Middle East conflict, triggered after US and Israeli forces launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, prompting retaliation against Israel and US allies in the Gulf, along with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump says he is losing patience with Iran
Trump said his patience with Iran was running out after he discussed the costly and unpopular war with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, and a ship was reported seized by Iranian personnel off the United Arab Emirates.
The White House said Trump and Xi had agreed during talks in Beijing on the need to keep the Strait of Hormuz shipping lane open. Iran effectively shut the waterway in response to US-Israeli attacks, which began on February 28, causing an unprecedented disruption to global energy supplies. China is close to Iran and is the main buyer of its oil.
The US paused its attacks on Iran last month but began a blockade of the country’s ports. Talks aimed at ending the conflict have stalled with Iran refusing to end its nuclear program or relinquish its stockpile of enriched uranium.
“I am not going to be much more patient,” Trump said in an interview aired on Thursday night on FOX News’ “Hannity” program. “They should make a deal.”
Read more: Iran urges BRICS to condemn US war as Tehran, UAE spar
On the key issue of Iran’s hidden stockpile of enriched uranium, Trump suggested it only needed to be secured by the US for public relations purposes.
“I don’t think it’s necessary except from a public relations standpoint,” Trump said in the interview.
“I just feel better if I got it, actually. But it’s, I think, it’s more for public relations than it is for anything else.”
In the latest incidents on the trade route, an Indian cargo vessel carrying livestock from Africa to the UAE was sunk on Wednesday in waters off the coast of Oman.
India condemned the attack and said the Omani coast guard had rescued all 14 crew members. Vanguard, a British maritime security advisory firm, said the vessel was believed to have been hit by a missile or drone, which caused an explosion.
Separately, British maritime security agency UKMTO reported on Thursday that “unauthorised personnel” had boarded a ship anchored off the coast of the UAE port of Fujairah and were steering it towards Iran.
Vanguard said a company security officer had reported that “the vessel was taken by Iranian personnel while at anchor.”
After talks between Trump and Xi on Thursday, the White House said the leaders had agreed that the strait should be open and that Xi made clear China’s opposition to the militarisation of the strait and any effort to charge a toll for its use.
Trump said Xi also promised not to send Iran military equipment. “He said he’s not going to give military equipment, that’s a big statement,” Trump said on “Hannity”.
Xi also expressed interest in purchasing more American oil to reduce China’s future dependence on the strait and the leaders agreed that Iran should never obtain nuclear weapons, the White House readout said. Tehran has denied seeking such weapons.
Diplomacy on hold
Trump is keen to elicit Chinese support to end a war that has become an electoral liability as it drags on towards key US midterm elections in November. But analysts doubt Xi will be willing to push Iran hard or end support for its military, given its value as a strategic counterweight to the US.
In an interview with CNBC from Beijing, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he believed China would “do what they can” to help open the strait, something “very much in their interest.” Before the war, about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies passed through the waterway.
But diplomacy has been on hold since last week when Iran and the US each rejected the other’s most recent proposals.
Fujairah is the UAE’s sole oil port, on the Gulf of Oman just outside the Strait of Hormuz, and enables some shipments to reach markets without passing through the chokepoint.
Iran appears to be making more deals with countries to allow some ships to pass through the strait – if they accept Tehran’s terms.
A Japanese tanker crossed on Wednesday after Japan’s prime minister announced that she had requested help from the Iranian president. A huge Chinese tanker also crossed on Wednesday, and Iran’s Fars news agency reported on Thursday that an agreement had been reached to let some Chinese ships pass.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said 30 vessels had passed through the strait since Wednesday evening, still far short of the 140 on a typical day before the war, but a substantial increase if confirmed.
According to shipping analytics firm Kpler, some 10 ships had sailed through the strait in the past 24 hours, against five to seven that have crossed daily in recent weeks.
