United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent delivered a blunt message to China on Monday. During a live interview on the Fox News Channel, he urged the Chinese government to use its massive diplomatic power to persuade Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping. Bessent confirmed that this specific regional crisis will sit at the very top of the agenda when US President Donald Trump meets face-to-face with Chinese President Xi Jinping next week.
Bessent told the television audience that he wants to see China step up to the plate. He demanded they use real diplomacy to force the Iranians to open the vital strait. To back up his tough talk, Bessent pointed to the massive financial link between Beijing and Tehran. He stated that China currently buys roughly 90 percent of all the energy Iran produces. Because China purchases so much oil, Bessent accused the Asian superpower of directly funding the largest state sponsor of terrorism on the planet.
The Treasury Secretary wants China to actively join the United States in a new international operation designed to force the strait open. However, during the interview, he refused to provide any specific details about exactly what actions Beijing should take regarding the water. Instead, he shifted his focus to the United Nations. Bessent demanded that both China and Russia stop using their veto power to block important international initiatives. He specifically mentioned a recent resolution that encouraged global steps to protect innocent commercial shipping vessels traveling through the dangerous Strait of Hormuz.
The ongoing chaos in the Middle East will dominate the upcoming diplomatic talks. Bessent confirmed that Trump and Xi have already begun discussing the situation in Iran behind the scenes. The two powerful leaders plan to exchange their final views on the crisis in person during their highly anticipated summit in Beijing, scheduled for May 14 and May 15.
Despite the harsh words regarding Iranian oil purchases, Bessent emphasized that the United States does not want to pick a massive fight with China right now. He assured the public that both leaders will strive to maintain the current stability by holding the US-China relationship together. This fragile stability stems directly from a major trade truce the two nations signed last October during a massive meeting in Busan, South Korea.
Bessent praised the working relationship between the two presidents. He noted that the two countries enjoy great stability right now, and he credits that peace entirely to the deep mutual respect the two leaders share for one another. He hopes this personal respect will convince Xi to help the United States solve the current shipping crisis without sparking a brand new trade war.
Turning his attention back to the Middle East, Bessent strongly insisted that the United States currently holds total control over the Strait of Hormuz. The American military currently runs a strict naval blockade to stop Iranian shipping from leaving port. Furthermore, the US Navy just launched a brand new operation designed to safely guide commercial shipping vessels through the strategic, heavily mined waterway.
Bessent confidently predicted that this new naval protection operation would quickly bring global oil prices back down to normal levels. He dismissed the current spike in fuel prices as a simple temporary aberration. He told viewers that the pain at the gas pump will only last a few weeks or possibly a few short months before returning to normal.
The Treasury Secretary acknowledged the financial pain that everyday citizens currently feel. He told the audience that the government remains fully cognizant that this short-term blip in fuel prices directly hurts the American people. However, he promised that the oil market remains well-supplied overall. He ended the interview by projecting extreme confidence, guaranteeing that once the military secures the waterway, global gas prices will come down very quickly.
