US Treasury's Bessent says China has been 'unreliable partner' by hoarding oil during war

treasury secretary scott bessent 2025 04 d85ae71fb39df9d2fe9cace58d8e5af9 scaled

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Tuesday that China had been an unreliable global partner during the Middle East war by hoarding oil supplies and limiting exports of certain goods, much as they hoarded medical supplies during the pandemic.

By Reuters April 14, 2026, 9:51:25 PM IST (Published)

1 Min Read

CNBCTV18 on Google

(Photo Credit : CNBC-TV18 Library)

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Tuesday that China had been an unreliable global partner during the Middle East war by hoarding oil supplies and limiting exports of certain goods, much as they hoarded medical supplies during the pandemic.

Bessent told reporters he had spoken with Chinese officials about the issue. He dodged a question about whether the dispute would derail US President Donald Trump’s plan to visit Beijing at the end of the month, but said Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping had a very good working relationship.
“I think the message for the visit is stability. We’ve had great stability in the relationship since last summer; that emanates from the top down,” he said. “I think that communication is the key.”