Retired Marine Corps four-star Gen. James L. Jones told Newsmax on Tuesday that President Donald Trump is heading into his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the end of the month with significant new leverage.
That leverage, Jones said on "Ed Henry’s The Big Take," comes from Trump’s move to choke off Iranian oil exports — a supply line Beijing had come to rely on.
"It’s clear that the Chinese were big buyers of Venezuelan oil and are very, very dependent on Iranian oil," he said.
With Tehran’s exports squeezed, China is now feeling the pressure, Jones suggested.
"I think that gives the president a pretty good hand when he meets with President Xi in China," he added.
Jones noted that while China imports oil from other producers, including Saudi Arabia, losing steady Iranian crude is no small matter for Beijing.
The retired general framed Trump’s strategy as a calculated move that strengthens America’s position ahead of the summit later this month.
By targeting Iran’s revenue stream, Jones indicated, the president is not only weakening a hostile regime but also reshaping the geopolitical chessboard with China.
The broader stakes, he said, go far beyond oil.
"We’re in a world now where autocracies and democracies are at odds with each other," Jones told Newsmax.
China and Iran stand on one side of that divide, while the United States and its allies stand on the other.
"There are quite a few countries in Africa, and even in our own hemisphere, that are watching this very closely to see whether … democratic countries are going to win this fight, or whether it’s going to be autocracies that prevail," Jones said.
The outcome of Trump’s meeting with Xi, he suggested, will send a clear signal to those nations about American resolve and leadership.
"And right now, I like our chances pretty well," Jones said.
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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