Washington, May 5 -- United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has hit out at China for "funding the largest state sponsor of terrorism" by maintaining energy ties with Iran, asserting that Beijing must support Washington's initiatives to "reopen the Strait of Hormuz", according to a report by Fox News.

The Treasury Secretary's sharp critique of the Beijing-Tehran relationship comes just days before US President Donald Trump's scheduled visit to Beijing to meet with President Xi Jinping.

Bessent argued that China's significant energy imports are directly sustaining the Iranian regime. "Iran is the largest state sponsor of terrorism, and China has been buying 90 per cent of their energy, so they are funding the largest state sponsor...