President Donald Trump told visiting Chinese leader Xi Jinping during talks at the White House yesterday that it would be “unacceptable” for China to help Iran during the US military campaign against the country, a US official told CNBC this morning.
Ambassador confirms message
“We made it very clear to them weeks ago that, you know, any help that they would give Iran, whether it be direct or indirect, whether it be intelligence or parts or military equipment, was totally unacceptable,” David Perdue, US ambassador to China, said in an interview with CNBC. “President Trump made that very clear again yesterday.”
Sanctions push
Trump’s meeting with Xi is unfolding as the US tries to implement a new round of secondary sanctions on Iran, aiming to sever its remaining ties to the global economy. Critics have speculated that that plan will be ineffective unless China, which has long maintained strategic ties to Iran, gets on board.
