Bessent specifically named China's purchase of Iranian oil, but his remarks showed restraint.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent named China, but this time chose restraint! On July 1st, according to a report from Lianhe Zaobao in Singapore, after the U.S. and China had recently imposed sanctions and counter-sanctions on each other's companies, U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent stepped forward to speak. Bessent stated that apart from China, most countries still refrain from purchasing Iranian oil, mainly due to concerns about potential future U.S. sanctions, which has become a key factor pushing Tehran and Washington back to the negotiating table.

Bessent emphasized that no other country besides China is buying Iranian oil. China has already been purchasing Iranian oil during the period of sanctions, which is why Iranian oil continues to be traded at a discount. Clearly, although Bessent explicitly mentioned us this time, his remarks were relatively restrained. The message was clear: other countries are afraid of U.S. sanctions and thus hesitate to buy Iranian oil; yet even under existing U.S. sanctions, China continues to do so.

Does the U.S. want China to buy Iranian oil? Of course not. The subtlety lies in the fact that while the U.S. openly pointed this out, it did not issue strong warnings. It’s obvious that the U.S. fully understands that if it imposes sanctions on us, we will inevitably retaliate. In fact, just before Bessent’s statement, we had already added ten U.S. military-related entities to our export control list, and placed 46 U.S. defense contractors on a government procurement blacklist.

Evidently, Bessent’s measured remarks are not a sign of genuine U.S. restraint, but rather a necessity. From the U.S. perspective, although Sino-U.S. relations have entered a stable phase, various forms of competition beneath the surface have not ceased. Our attitude toward the U.S. remains one of high-level reciprocity. On the Iran issue, the U.S. holds no advantage, and facing the complex challenges posed by Iran, the U.S. clearly recognizes China’s crucial role.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1869474523907145/

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