President Donald Trump is seen talking with Chinese President Xi Jinping, situated on the left, following a visit to the Zhongnanhai Garden located in Beijing on May 15, 2026. Evan Vucci/Pool via AP
President Donald Trump's chief trade representative declared on Sunday that the U.S. leader secured a pledge from the Chinese not to "furnish substantive assistance to Iran," clarifying that the United States did not solicit China's immediate assistance to restore access to the Strait of Hormuz.
"When the president entered those discussions, he didn't request that they intervene in the Straits of Hormuz. He strongly emphasized guaranteeing their non-provision of material aid to Iran. He obtained and verified that commitment," conveyed U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer during an appearance on ABC News' "This Week."
Greer indicated that China possesses "an evident stake" in the strait's reopening — "I attended these discussions, and that's the sentiment expressed by the Chinese," he clarified — but excluding direct involvement, it remains uncertain if China's stance will exert any meaningful pressure on Iran.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer featured on ABC News’ “This Week” on May 17, 2026.ABC News
"The president isn't pursuing joint military ventures with the Chinese. Historically, American presidents haven’t engaged in such collaborations," Greer remarked. "However, we understandably aim to prevent them from obstructing our efforts to resolve the situation."
The president returned to the White House on Friday evening following the completion of the two-day summit in Beijing with Chinese President Xi Jinping. While the trip yielded few concrete deliverables, Trump's remarks concerning a yet-to-be-endorsed Taiwan arms sale generated some backlash.
Trump informed reporters that he discussed the matter with Xi "at length." In a Fox News interview, he expressed the following about the prospective arms deal: "We’ll observe developments… I might proceed, or I might not."
During his appearance on "This Week," Greer underscored that U.S. policy regarding Taiwan remains unaltered.
“The paramount necessity is to maintain the existing state of affairs in the Taiwan Straits, and the president communicated this unequivocally: There's no shift in American policy concerning Taiwan,” Greer affirmed. “We anticipate stability in that context, and should President Xi intend to modify that, it would certainly factor into our considerations. The president is dedicated to averting any disruptive occurrences there.”
Concerning the arms sale, which Congress has preliminarily sanctioned, Greer clarified that the decision rests with Trump: “The president will maintain confidentiality regarding the arms sales and the timing of their potential execution.”
Chinese state-controlled media announced that Xi issued Trump a warning concerning Taiwan during the summit, suggesting that mishandling the Taiwan issue could provoke a "conflict" between the two nations. Nonetheless, Xi added that properly addressing the issue could ensure that relations between the countries "generally remain stable."
Despite the U.S. and China engaging in a trade conflict for a substantial portion of the preceding year, Trump informed reporters during the return flight to the U.S. that tariff discussions were absent from his dialogue with Xi.
However, Greer specified on “This Week” that trade negotiations indeed materialized, albeit not at the highest governmental level.
“Prior to the leaders’ assembly, individuals such as myself and [Treasury] Secretary [Scott] Bessent, along with our teams, convene with our opposite numbers from the Chinese contingent to resolve numerous matters, thus alleviating the need for presidential intervention. That’s why tariffs weren’t addressed by them,” he elucidated.
The trade representative appended that the administration is contemplating the establishment of a “Board of Trade” with China to negotiate trade terms for specific commodities.
“We intend to deliberate with the Chinese regarding commodities we should be selling them—[agriculture], Boeing products, and medical devices—as well as our desired imports, be they consumer goods, low-tech items, or alternative inputs unavailable domestically. We’ll also address the tariff arrangements pertaining to these items.”
When asked to respond to critics who claim the president achieved little during the trip, Greer mentioned an upcoming fact sheet, while highlighting several points he described as agreed upon. He indicated that China consented to reauthorize U.S. exports from multiple meat exporting facilities, reassess particular biotechnology trades, and procure 200 Boeing aircraft, although China has not verified details of any agreements.
“Hence, a multitude of tangible developments are underway and being implemented. Crucially, as the president emphasized, we possess strategic equilibrium with China,” he concluded.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com