Trump confirms delay of Beijing meeting with Xi amid Iran conflict

2026.03.17 19:20 US President Donald Trump speaks during a Friends of Ireland luncheon for Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin in the US Capitol on St. Patrick’s Day. Photo: AP US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said his planned trip to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing will be delayed by “five or six weeks,” as the US-Israel war against Iran continues. “We’re working with China. They were fine with it … I look forward to seeing President Xi. He looks forward to seeing me, I think,” Trump told reporters at the White House. The Chinese embassy in Washington did not confirm Trump’s timeline and said “China and the US remain in communication on President Trump’s visit to China, including the dates”. The Beijing trip had been scheduled for March 31 to April 2, according to a White House announcement in February. The trip to meet Trump’s Chinese counterpart will mark his first visit to China of his second term. Trump was speaking in the Oval Office on Tuesday after a bilateral meeting with Irish leader Micheal Martin to mark St Patrick’s Day. Describing China as “economically for us, very good, very good”, Trump added that “it’s much different than it was in the past, and we have a very good working relationship with China, so we’re making it in about five or six weeks”. Trump had signalled a possible delay on Monday, saying the US was in talks with Beijing about the visit. “I don’t know, we’re working on that right now. We’re speaking to China. I’d love to, but because of the war, I want to be here. I have to be here, I feel,” Trump said, adding that the US had asked to delay the trip “a month or so.” The postponement comes as the US war against Iran entered its third week, with oil prices surging and traffic through the Strait of Hormuz – a key route that carries about a fifth of global oil supply – remaining at a virtual standstill. Trump in recent days had urged China to send warships to the strait to keep it “open and safe”. “Hopefully China, France, Ja

原文链接: 南华早报