March 15 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that NATO faces a “very bad” future if U.S. allies fail to assist in opening up the Strait of Hormuz, in an interview with the Financial Times published on Sunday.
Trump told the FT he could also delay his summit with China’s President Xi Jinping later this month as he presses Beijing to help unblock the crucial waterway.
“I think China should help too because China gets 90% of its oil from the Straits,” Trump told the newspaper, adding he would prefer to know Beijing’s position before the planned visit.
“We may delay,” he said of the trip.
The U.S. president said countries that benefit from the shipping route should help secure it.
“It’s only appropriate that people who are the beneficiaries of the Strait will help to make sure that nothing bad happens there,” he told the FT.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng wrapped up the first of two days of talks in Paris on Sunday to iron out kinks in their trade truce and clear a path for Trump’s trip to Beijing to meet with Xi at the end of March.
The White House did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
(Reporting by Rhea Rose Abraham and Devika Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Tom Hogue and Deepa Babington)
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