Why Trump’s China trip delay could open the door for ‘more substantive’ results

2026.03.17 15:20 Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) welcomes Donald Trump in Beijing in November 2017 during the US president’s last trip to China. Photo: Xinhua Beijing has confirmed it remains in communication with Washington about a landmark visit by US President Donald Trump, who has requested to delay the trip by a month due to the US-Israel war on Iran. Chinese analysts characterised the delay as a strategic opportunity to ensure more substantive results. They also suggested the shift in timing was unlikely to derail the momentum towards stabilising ties between the two global powers. The White House previously announced that the trip – the first by a US president since 2017 – would take place from March 31 to April 2. But Trump said on Monday he had to postpone it. “Because of the war I want to be here, I have to be here, I feel. And so we’ve requested that we delay it a month or so,” Trump told reporters. Asked to comment on the remarks, Beijing said it was “still in communication” with the US, without further elaboration. “China and the US are in communication on the timing of President Trump’s visit to China,” foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on Tuesday. Trump’s planned visit is in question as Washington remains bogged down by the war, but observers said the delay would allow both sides to reach “a more substantive outcome” as it would give Washington more time to prepare. Chen Qi, a professor of international relations at Tsinghua University, said Beijing and Washington had both shown they intended to control their disputes and keep them from spiralling out of control, as seen in regular contacts in recent months. “Therefore, allowing short-term disruptions to alter the broader trend of stabilising ties would not serve the interests of both sides.” Chen added that Beijing viewed the war as “a problem created by Trump” and was determined not to let it overshadow its priority of stabilising ties with Washington or risk getting drawn into unnecessar

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