Analysis of Donald Trump’s Claim on China’s Business with Iran

The Truth About Trump’s Claim on China and Iran Business Dealings

Former President Donald Trump recently made a bold claim that China, along with other countries, chose not to do business with Iran during his presidency after he declared that the US would not engage in business with any country that did so. However, upon closer examination, it is evident that this claim is false.

While China’s oil imports from Iran did experience a temporary decline in 2019 when Trump’s administration actively discouraged such transactions, they never completely ceased. In fact, these imports saw a significant increase while Trump was still in office.

Matt Smith, lead oil analyst for the Americas at Kpler, a market intelligence firm, debunked Trump’s claim by stating that Chinese crude imports from Iran continued throughout Trump’s presidency. Despite official statistics showing no purchases of Iranian crude by China in certain periods, industry experts reveal that China employed various tactics to conceal their ongoing imports from Iran.

For instance, Iranian crude was often listed as originating from Malaysia in Chinese data, and ships carrying Iranian oil would disable their transponders before reaching Malaysia to mask their true origins. Additionally, oil transfers between ships were common practices to evade detection.

Ali Vaez, Iran project director at the International Crisis Group, confirmed that China did reduce its imports from Iran in late 2019 but quickly ramped up purchases to pre-restriction levels by the time Trump left office.

Kpler data further supported these findings, showing that China imported over 500,000 barrels per day of Iranian crude in December 2020, Trump’s last full month in office. Even during the lowest point in March 2020 due to the global oil demand crash caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, China still imported around 87,000 barrels per day.

In conclusion, Trump’s assertion that China refrained from doing business with Iran during his presidency is unfounded. The reality is that China continued to engage in trade with Iran, utilizing covert methods to mask their activities. This serves as a reminder to always fact-check claims made by public figures to uncover the truth behind their statements.