US President Donald Trump praised China on Monday for remaining on the sidelines during the prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz, just weeks before Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to visit Washington.
“Even with the Strait of Hormuz, he’s relatively inactive. He’s been relatively inactive by comparison to what he could have been,” Trump said while responding to a reporter’s question on Xi’s likely visit.
“He’s coming in a couple of weeks. He looks forward to it. I look forward to having him. We have had a very good relationship.”
Trump added that he had “a lot of respect” for the Chinese leader and believed the feeling was mutual.
“I think he respects me, and I think he respects our country again. He didn’t respect our country two years ago. He laughed at our country.”
Trump thanks China’s Xi, Russia’s Putin for being ‘neutral’ in Iran war
Trump’s remarks came as US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent indicated that Chinese banks may not be targeted under the administration’s “Economic D-Day” secondary sanctions.