Trump praises China for staying ‘relatively inactive’ during Strait of Hormuz crisis

Donald Trump praised China for keeping its distance during the prolonged Strait of Hormuz crisis, saying Beijing had been “relatively inactive” compared with what it could have done.

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Even with the Strait of Hormuz, he’s relatively inactive. He’s been relatively inactive by comparison to what he could have been.

Trump made the remarks while answering a question about a possible visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Washington. He said Xi was expected in a few weeks and that both leaders looked forward to the meeting.

The US president also said he had “a lot of respect” for Xi and believed the Chinese leader respected him and the United States. Trump said Xi had not respected the country two years earlier and had laughed at it.

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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.

The comments came as US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent indicated that Chinese banks might not be targeted under the administration’s planned “Economic D-Day” secondary sanctions.

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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.