US Treasury Secretary Benson, in an interview, called on China to increase its diplomatic mediation with Iran, urging it to persuade Tehran to open the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping, and said that the leaders of the US and China will discuss this issue at their meeting next week.
According to Reuters, Benson said on Fox News on Monday: "China, let's see how they engage in diplomacy and try to persuade Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz."
Benson said that China purchases 90% of Iran's energy and is "essentially funding the world's largest supporter of terrorism."
He urged China to "join the US-led international efforts" to open the Strait of Hormuz, but did not specify what actions Beijing should take.
Benson added that China and Russia should stop blocking the passage of resolutions encouraging the protection of commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz at UN meetings.
China's Ministry of Commerce last Saturday (2nd) issued a ban, clearly stipulating that it would not recognize, enforce, or comply with US sanctions measures such as placing Hengli Petrochemical and four other refining companies on the "Specially Designated Nationals" (SDN) list.
This is the first time China has issued a blocking order based on the "Rules on Counteracting Unjustified Extraterritorial Application of Foreign Legislation and Measures" (shortened to "Blocking Rules"), and is considered Beijing's strongest legal response to date against external "long-arm jurisdiction" in the economic and trade field.
Benson said on Monday's interview that US President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping have been consulting on the Iran issue and will exchange views on the topic again at the Beijing summit from May 14th to 15th.
Benson reiterated that Trump and Xi will strive to maintain the strong US-China relationship established with last October's trade truce agreement. "Our relationship is very stable, and that's because the two leaders have a high level of respect for each other."