According to Bloomberg, on May 3, U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent said that the United States has continued to urge China to stop purchasing Iranian energy and to discourage Beijing from channeling funds to the Iranian regime. At the same time, despite U.S. pressure on Iran, President Trump will proceed with his planned visit to China.
The U.S. president is scheduled to visit China on May 14 and 15, where he will meet with Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping. In an interview with Fox News, Bessent said that Trump is “not going to move to reschedule it, as far as I know.”
Bessent added, ““I have been bringing up the Chinese relationship with Iran in my meetings with the Chinese. And look, Maria, Iran was the largest state sponsor of terrorism. President Trump has made the world safe. He said Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.”
““Iran is the largest state sponsor of terrorism, and China has been buying 90 percent of their energy, so they are funding the largest state sponsor of terrorism.” Bessent said.
On energy, Bessent said that amid the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz as a critical bottleneck, U.S. energy exports have reached record levels. He attributed the United States’ rise as an energy superpower to policies from President Trump’s first term and his current second term.
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He also noted that the only current constraint on further U.S. energy exports is export infrastructure, which had been halted during the Biden administration.
Bessent stressed that as more liquefied natural gas facilities are built, the United States will be able to supply secure energy to the world.
He added that countries in the future are likely to reduce their reliance on energy from the Gulf region to some extent. Meanwhile, Venezuela’s oil production continues to rise, and more alternative sources of supply will emerge in global markets. The United States, he said, stands to be the biggest beneficiary.
According to Reuters, the Trump administration had originally scheduled the China visit for March 31 to April 2, 2026. In mid-March, as the U.S. launched military operations against Iran at the height of hostilities, Trump announced a delay in the visit, saying he needed to remain in Washington to handle the situation. The two sides later coordinated a new schedule, ultimately setting the visit for May 14–15.