US President Donald Trump made it clear during a White House conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping that Chinese aid to Iran is unacceptable, said US Ambassador to China David Perdue. Perdue told CNBC in an interview that weeks ago they made it clear that any aid China could provide to Iran, whether direct or indirect, involving intelligence, parts or military equipment, was completely unacceptable. He added that President Trump reiterated that point very clearly.
In a separate question on Fox News, Perdue said Washington had received assurances from Beijing. He said they were assured they would not do so, speaking on the programme 'America's Newsroom'.
Xi Jinping invited Donald Trump for a new visit to China, following the conclusion of his three-day state visit to the US. During a tea ceremony at the White House, Xi said the two leaders could have two more opportunities to meet this year: at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in China and at the G20 summit in Miami in December. 'We are inviting the president and his wife to visit China,' Xi said, to which Trump replied: 'Well, thank you very much, we will come,' adding that they would 'talk a lot'.
Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan arrived in the American capital on Wednesday for a three-day state visit, at a time of high trade tensions between the two superpowers, which were the main item on the agenda. Although the two leaders publicly exchanged compliments, their private meetings yielded few concrete results. The US is expected to announce on Monday more details about potential progress made in trade negotiations.
Trump last visited China in May. This year's APEC summit is due to be held in November in Shenzhen, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has also announced his arrival there, fuelling speculation about a possible trilateral meeting between Xi, Trump and Putin. Trump and Xi met on the margins of the APEC summit last year in South Korea, where they achieved a broader trade truce.
