China’s foreign ministry has officially rejected claims by U.S. President Donald Trump that a seized Iranian cargo ship was carrying a “gift from China.”
The dispute follows an incident where U.S. naval forces fired on and intercepted the Touska, an Iranian-flagged vessel that allegedly tried to bypass a blockade of Iranian ports.
During a Tuesday interview with CNBC, President Trump suggested the ship was carrying illicit cargo, stating it “had some things on it which wasn’t very nice. A gift from China perhaps, I don’t know.”
He added that he was “sort of surprised” by the discovery, as he believed he had a solid “understanding with President Xi.”
In a sharp rebuttal on Friday, Chinese ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun dismissed the remarks as groundless. He told reporters in Beijing that “China opposes any accusations and associations that lack a factual basis.”
Guo emphasized that Beijing views the incident as an overarched of American power asserting that “normal international trade relations between countries should not be subject to interferences and disruption.”
While U.S officials suggest the ship contained military-grade “dual-use” items, China maintains that the U.S. is participating in “armed piracy” and disrupting global commerce.
