Trump-Xi Summit Agrees Hormuz 'Must Remain Open' and Iran 'Can Never Have Nuclear Weapon'; Xi Opposes IRGC Tolls — Day 76

Trump and Xi Jinping reached a landmark joint agreement at their Beijing summit on May 14, 2026 (Day 76): the Strait of Hormuz 'must remain open' and Iran 'can never have a nuclear weapon,' according to a White House readout. Xi also made clear China's opposition to the militarization of the Strait and to any effort by Iran to charge tolls for passage — a direct rebuke of the IRGC's May 4 maritime control zone and May 13 geographic expansion declarations. Xi expressed interest in purchasing more American oil to reduce China's own dependence on Hormuz supply chains. The two leaders agreed to a framework described as a 'constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability,' characterized as the guiding bilateral framework for the next three years. The Hormuz and nuclear language — publicly released from a summit nominally focused on trade and Taiwan — represents the first joint US-China communiqué explicitly opposing Iran's Hormuz position. The agreement fell short of China pledging concrete leverage over Tehran: Rubio indicated the US was 'not asking for China's help with Iran,' and analysts noted Beijing has historically been cautious about committing to specific enforcement actions. Nevertheless, Xi's public alignment with the US on both Hormuz access and nuclear prevention creates unprecedented diplomatic pressure on Iran's strategic calculus and undercuts Tehran's ability to leverage Chinese economic support as a counterweight to US military pressure.