The Secretary of State of the United States, Marco Rubio, said this Wednesday that Washington hopes to convince China to take a more role active to stop Iran's actions in the Persian Gulf, considering that the crisis directly threatens Asia's trade interests.

“It is China's interest to resolve this. We hope to convince them to play a active role in getting Iran to give what it is doing to hour and trying to do now in the Persian Gulf,” said Rubio in an interview with journalist Sean Hannity, from the Fox News chain, onboard the AF1.

The head of American diplomacy assured that the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and the conflict have had repercussions in China, noting that “a "Chinese freighter was hit during the weekend", in reference to the exchange of attacks recorded last Friday between Iran and the United States.

“The Chinese ships are trapped there,” Rubio insisted on the possible effect that the Hormuz blockade has on Beijing's energy interests.

During the same interview, published tonight, the secretary assured that China has a clear strategy on this conflict by stating that “it has a plan and wants to-execute it.”

Rubio added that he understands China's stance from “a nation-state perspective, but when that plan conflicts with our national interests, we need to do what is right for the United States.”

Trump, who had visited China during his first presidential term in 2017, arrives for his second state visit and to meet with his counterpart

Washington has intensified pressure on Beijing in recent months to reduce its indirect support to Iran and to contribute to favoring a de-escalation in the Middle East, where both countries maintain strategic interests.

The US president has on several occasions requested China, Iran's largest trade partner, to convince Tehran to reopen the es Hormuz stretch, a key route for hydrocarbon transit, through which around 45% of China's gas and oil imports pass.