BEIJING, April 24 (Reuters) – China’s foreign ministry on Friday rejected an accusation by U.S. President Donald Trump that an Iranian-flagged cargo ship intercepted by U.S. forces was a “gift from China.”
The U.S. said it fired on and seized an Iranian cargo ship that tried to evade its blockade of Iranian ports. Iran’s military said the ship had been travelling from China and vowed retaliation against what it called “armed piracy by the U.S. military.”
Trump on Tuesday told CNBC the ship “had some things on it, which wasn’t very nice. A gift from China perhaps, I don’t know.”
China’s foreign ministry rejected the comments.
“China opposes any accusations and associations that lack a factual basis,” ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told reporters in Beijing.
“Normal international trade relations between countries should not be subject to interference and disruption,” he added.
The container ship Touska, which was boarded and seized by U.S. forces on Sunday, is likely to have what Washington deems dual-use items that could be used by the military on board, maritime security sources said on Monday.
(Reporting by Joe Cash; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by William Maclean and Thomas Derpinghaus)
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