JAKARTA - The United States and China have agreed not to allow any country or organization to charge transit fees for ships in the Strait of Hormuz. This route is important because it is one of the main routes for the shipment of oil and gas from the Middle East.
Quoted from Kyodo News, Wednesday, May 13, the deal was discussed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in a telephone conversation on April 30.
"No country or organization should be allowed to impose transit fees to pass through international waterways such as the Strait of Hormuz," said US State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott, explaining Rubio and Wang's deal.
The Strait of Hormuz is of great concern because Iran is said to be largely blocking the main shipping lane. This condition makes the US-Israeli war against Iran expected to be one of the important topics in the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing this week.
Trump is expected to ask Xi to persuade Iran to reach an agreement with Washington. China has an important position as the largest buyer of Iranian crude oil and gives Tehran an economic breath.
Pressure on Trump is also coming from within the country. Gasoline prices in the US are still high, while talks to reopen the Strait of Hormuz have not shown any significant progress.
Rubio and Wang also agreed that Washington and Beijing needed to build a constructive relationship that was strategically stable, with the principle of mutual respect and reciprocity.
Rubio accompanied Trump to Beijing with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Trump is scheduled to meet Xi on Thursday and Friday.
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