After a closely-watched toast to China-US ties by Xi Jinping for Donald Trump on Thursday, the two sides have reportedly agreed that the Strait of Hormuz should remain a free waterway.
The two leaders also allegedly agreed that Iran should not be allowed to levy payments for the use of the crucial shipping lane, as per a Wall Street Journal report, citing a White House readout of the talks between the two leaders on day two of Trump's three-day visit to Beijing.
However, it is yet to be seen how this will be implemented in the war, with Trump expected to make his case for China to play a bigger role in ending the war in the Gulf, which has now crossed its third month.
Trump has also claimed that he had invited Xi for a reciprocal visit to the White House in September, but THE WEEK could not independently verify whether the Chinese premier had accepted it or not.
Both sides pile on praises
At the opening of the state banquet today, Xi, who has long criticised the Trump administration for destabilising trade in the strait, was full of praise for the ties between two of the world's largest economies, saying that both sides “must make it work and never mess it up".
He also declared that China's rejuvenation aims and the Trump administration's Make America Great Again (MAGA) roadmap could "help each other succeed".
This comes after the US side comprising Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio also piled heaps of praises on China.
Trump had called Xi a “great leader” and had expressed optimism about the future of US-China relations on Wednesday.
He also highlighted his "fantastic relationship" with Xi amid hopes of trying to convince Beijing to take a "more active role" in his unpopular war.
The catch
Despite the polite rhetoric, Xi is unlikely to give Trump what he wants, with reports arguing that China may only go as far as trying to push Iran back to the negotiating table, and not extreme steps such as economic support or military action.
However, a confidential US intelligence report has now claimed yet another reason for China's reluctance to engage with Iran on stronger terms.
The report, which uses a DIME (diplomatic, informational, military and economic) framework to assess Beijing's responses to the war since it began on February 28, has said that China is using the war in Iran to maximise its advantage over the US, a Washington Post article said, citing two US officials in the know.
“The war in Iran is massively improving China’s geopolitical position,” said Jacob Stokes, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, in the report.
Apart from the sale of weapons to its Persian Gulf allies since the start of the war on February 28, the report also noted how popular criticisms of the war found their way into Chinese public messaging.
Apart from offering new insights on China’s reaction to the war, the report also seems to reinforce the growing consensus that the "illegal" conflict is tilting the balance of power in Beijing’s favour.