Bessent Calls China an Unreliable Partner for Its Hoarding Oil Amid Iran War

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent testifies before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs on Capitol Hill in Washington on Feb. 5, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch TimesU.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said China had been an “unreliable global partner” during the war in Iran, citing the communist regime’s hoarding of oil supplies and limits on certain exports.Speaking to reporters on April 14, Bessent said he had raised the issue with Chinese officials. He declined to comment on whether it might derail U.S. President Donald Trump’s scheduled trip to China in mid-May, adding that Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping had a good working relationship.