President Donald Trump touted what he described as a cooperative relationship with Chinese leader Xi Jinping while warning of America’s military prowess if relations ever break down in a bizarre Truth Social post that claimed the two world’s largest economies were “working together smartly, and very well.”
“Doesn’t that beat fighting??? BUT REMEMBER, we are very good at fighting, if we have to - far better than anyone else,” Trump posted on Wednesday.
The president also opined that Xi would greet him with “a big, fat, hug” out of gratitude for his purported effort to “permanently” open the Strait of Hormuz after starting a war that caused Iran to close the key waterway in retaliation.
“China is very happy that I am permanently opening the Strait of Hormuz. I am doing it for them, also - And the World. This situation will never happen again. They have agreed not to send weapons to Iran,” he said.
Trump’s comments came just minutes after the airing of an interview with Fox Business where he claimed to have exchanged letters with the Chinese leader about Beijing’s support for Tehran in the form of arms sales.
Speaking to Mornings with Maria host Maria Bartiromo, Trump said Xi was “somebody I get along with very well.”
“He responded to a letter that I wrote because I had heard that China is giving weapons to, I mean, you're seeing it all over the place, to Iran that China is giving them. And I wrote him a letter asking him not to do that, and he wrote me a letter saying that, essentially, he’s not doing that,” Trump added.
A Chinese embassy representative did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment on the veracity of Trump’s claims.
As recently as last week, U.S. media outlets were reporting that Beijing was making preparations to deliver domestically-produced air defense munitions — shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles — to replace weapons that Tehran’s forces had expended during the war.
At the time, a Chinese embassy spokesperson categorically denied the allegations in a statement to CNN in which they claimed Beijing “has never provided weapons to any party to the conflict.”
“As a responsible major country, China consistently fulfills its international obligations. We urge the U.S. side to refrain from making baseless allegations, maliciously drawing connections, and engaging in sensationalism; we hope that relevant parties will do more to help de-escalate tensions,” they said.
