US President Donald Trump is suggesting he may delay his much-anticipated visit to China at the end of the month as he seeks to ramp up the pressure on Beijing to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz and calm oil prices that have soared during the Iran war.
In an interview on Sunday with the Financial Times, Trump said China's reliance on oil from the Middle East means it ought to help with a new coalition he is trying to put together to get oil tanker traffic moving through the strait after Iran’s threats have throttled global flows of oil.
Trump said “we'd like to know” before the trip whether Beijing will help. "We may delay,” Trump said in the interview.
READ MORE: Fresh warning for Australian travellers about stopovers
Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he returned to Washington from a weekend in Florida that the US had spoken to “about seven” nations about offering military support.
He wouldn't say which ones, though, and demurred when he was asked directly about China — though he subsequently suggested that he'd made such an offer to Beijing.
“China's an interesting case study," he said, noting its reliance on Gulf oil.
"So I said, ‘Would you like to come in’ and we'll find out. Maybe they will, maybe they won't.”
OSCARS UPDATES: Tears, shock as Best Picture is crowned
Transport Minister Catherine King says Australia won't be sending a warship to the Strait of Hormuz to protect vessels.
"We won't be sending a ship to the Strait of Hormuz. We know how incredibly important that is but that's not something we've been asked or we're contributing to," she told the ABC.
King said she was not aware if a request had been made to the government to provide a naval vessel.
The uncertainty underscores just how much the US-Israeli strikes on Iran have reshaped global politics in the past two weeks.
READ MORE: Crack down to hit fuel check website after stations caught lying
Calling off the face-to-face visit with Chinese President Xi Jinping could have its own major economic consequences: relations between Washington and Beijing have been fraught as both sides have threatened the other with steep tariffs over the past year.
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment, AP said.
Trump's new comments came as US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was meeting with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on Monday in Paris for a new round of trade talks that were meant to pave the way for Trump’s Beijing trip.
POLITICS: One Nation surges in the polls, overtaking Coalition
The US and China have declared a truce that has prevented both sides from levying dueling tariffs, but the stakes remain high.
READ MORE: Trump 'surprised' Iran targeted other Middle East countries
In the early days of the Iran conflict, Trump had said US navy vessels would escort oil tankers through the strait, and downplayed the threat posed by Iran.
But as oil prices soared, he and his administration have been forced to consider new options — including the idea, broached this weekend, for other countries to join the push with their own warships.
So far, none has yet formally heeded the call.
READ MORE: Kyle and Jackie O show slapped with new conditions over breaches
The president warned that NATO faces a "very bad" future if US allies don't assist in the effort to regain control of the crucial shipping route.
"We didn't have to help them with Ukraine, but we helped them. Now we'll see if they help us," he said.
"If there's no response or if it's a negative response I think it will be very bad for the future of NATO."
He also returned to attacking British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, after the UK initially refused US access to British bases.
"As soon as we basically wiped out the danger capacity from Iran, they said, 'Oh well we'll send two ships'," he said.
"And I said, 'We need those ships before we win, not after we win'. I've long said that NATO is a one-way street."
Before Trump suggested potentially cancelling his trip, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington was noncommittal to Trump's call for outside help in the strait.
“The Strait of Hormuz and waters nearby are an important route for international goods and energy trade. Keeping the region safe and stable serves the common interests of the international community," the spokesperson said.
"All parties have the responsibility to ensure stable and unimpeded energy supply.”
The spokesperson added: “As a sincere friend and strategic partner of Middle Eastern countries, China will continue to strengthen communication with relevant parties, including parties to the conflict, and play a constructive role for de-escalation and restoration of peace.”
Dubai Airport hit by another drone
Flights in and out of Dubai Airport have stopped following a fuel tanker fire caused by a "drone-related incident".
Dubai's Civil Aviation Authority announced the temporary suspension "as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of all passengers and staff," the Dubai Media Office said, CNN reports.
"Please do not go to the airport," said airline Emirates in a post on X, adding that the safety of its passengers and crew was its "highest priority".
'We're talking to them, but I don't think they're ready,' Trump says
Trump says he doesn't think Iran is ready to negotiate on nuclear programs.
Asked whether there are diplomatic talks underway, Trump told reporters: "We're talking to them, but I don't think they're ready. But they're getting pretty close."
"I don't think they're ready to do what they have to do," and said any deal has to first address Iran's nuclear program/ There will be no nuclear weapons — that's where it starts. And then on top of that, there's plenty of things that we're going to get," Trump said.
But he also said: "I don't know if I want to make a deal, because you know what? First of all, nobody even knows who you're dealing with, because most of their leadership has been killed."
– with AP
