China: ‘No point’ in continuing Iran war

THE HILL-May15th2026

by Sophie Brams

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Friday that it saw “no point” for the U.S. conflict with Iran to continue, as President Trump claimed he reached agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping on key issues in the war, such as reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

“There is no point in continuing this conflict which should not have happened in the first place,” a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said, sidestepping questions about whether Trump and Xi discussed Iran during their bilateral meeting.

“To find an early way to resolve the situation is in the interest of not only the U.S. and Iran, but also regional countries and the rest of the world,” the statement continued, calling for a ceasefire and further diplomatic negotiations.

The assessment came at the end of a two-day, high-stakes summit between the leaders of the world’s two most powerful nations that focused on trade, Taiwan and the situation in the Middle East.

It was not immediately clear whether Trump and Xi reached any formal agreements on Iran, but the U.S. president had been pressing China to leverage its position as the main buyer of Iranian oil to pressure Tehran into a deal.

China purchases roughly 90 percent of Iran’s exported oil, generating tens of billions in annual revenue for the regime, according to the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.

Trump told reporters Friday the U.S. and China feel “very similar” about wanting the two-month conflict to end, saying “we don’t want them [Iran] to have a nuclear weapon” and “we want the strait open.”

The Strait of Hormuz has been a key point of tension in the standoff between the U.S. and Tehran, with a sustained halt in shipping traffic roiling global oil prices for months. The waterway carries about one-fifth of the world’s oil supply during peacetime.

A readout from the White House about the Beijing visit on Thursday stated Xi “made clear” China is opposed to the “militarization of the Strait” and any effort to charge a toll for its use. It also said Xi “expressed an interest in purchasing more American oil” to reduce the country’s future dependence on the strait.

Trump also said Thursday that Xi committed during their meeting to withhold military equipment from Iran. China previously maintained that it was not supplying Tehran with weapons.

“That’s a big statement,” the president told Fox News’s Sean Hannity in an interview. “He said that strongly, but at the same time he said you know they buy a lot of their oil there, and they’d like to keep doing that.”