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US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping held a "good" meeting on Thursday in which they agreed that the Strait of Hormuz "must remain open", the White House said.Iran has largely blocked shipping through the vital waterway, through which a fifth of the world's oil and natural gas normally passes, since the outbreak of war with the United States and Israel on February 28. "The two sides agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open to support the free flow of energy," the White House said.China is directly affected by the lack of petroleum crossing the Strait of Hormuz. More than half of the crude imported by sea to China comes from the Middle East and mainly transits through the strait, according to maritime analytics firm Kpler.According to the White House, Xi expressed an interest in purchasing more American oil to reduce China's dependence on the strait in the future. Beijing's own readout of the meeting did not mention any such interest. For its part, the White House statement did not mention any discussions between the two leaders on Taiwan, the self-ruled island claimed by Beijing and a sensitive subject in US-China diplomacy.Xi earlier warned that "conflict" between China and the United States could break out, should the issue be mishandled, Chinese state media had reported.

"We should be committed to mutual respect and win-win co-operation to advance China-Qatar relations to new heights as China and Qatar are both peace-loving countries," stressed the Chinese Charge d’Affaires Wang Ying on Thursday at the Chinese Embassy Doha.She pointed out that "under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani, the China-Qatar strategic partnership has gone through an 11-year golden period of development. Currently, the China-Qatar relationship is at its highest level in history and has become a model of friendly co-operation between countries."She noted that "China and Qatar have supported each other on issues which bear on our respective core interests and major concerns, and in pursuing development paths which suit our national conditions."Further, "the bilateral trade volume increased from $10.6bn in 2014 to $24.22bn in 2024, marking a growth of over 128%. Since 2020, China has remained Qatar’s largest trading partner and top export destination for five consecutive years. China-Qatar co-operation features a strong complementarity and delivers tangible benefits to the people of both countries," she said.In the meantime, she noted that "both China and Qatar are advocating for justice on the Gaza conflict, as we are jointly working to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people. Since the Gaza conflict erupted, Qatar has been actively participating in mediation, and successfully helped achieve ceasefire agreements and release of hostages twice. The international community highly appreciates Qatar's tireless efforts in striving for peace and alleviating humanitarian crisis."She further pointed out that China has upheld an objective and fair position, and been committed to safeguarding peace and lives. China pushed for the adoption of the first resolution of ceasefire in Gaza by the United Nations Security Council, facilitated the reconciliation dialogue and the signing of the Beijing Declaration by the 14 Palestinian factions, and deliveredmultiple batches of humanitarian assistance to Gaza.The Chinese Chargé d’Affaires in Doha stressed that "The humanitarian crisis in Gaza must not continue, and the Palestinian question must not be marginalized once again. The legitimate aspirations of the Arab nation should be fulfilled as soon as possible, and the just voice of the vast Islamic world must be heeded. The “two-state solution” remains the only viable way out of the turmoil for the Middle East, and the international community should take more concrete and effective actions to this end. "She expressed her country's stand saying that "China stands ready to work with Qatar to strengthen the synergy of both countries’ development strategies, jointly promote the community with a shared future for humanity, uphold international fairness and justice, advance on the journey toward national prosperity and rejuvenation, and bring more benefit to the two peoples."