Trump has asked to delay his planned visit to Beijing by about a month due to the Iran war, after earlier hinting he might put the trip off if his prospective hosts do not help to unblock the strait of Hormuz.
The US president’s summit with China’s leader, Xi Jinping, was meant to take place at the end of March but Trump told reporters in the White House on Monday: “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.”
China had said it was communicating with the US about the visit, with the country’s foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian saying:“Head-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role in China-US relations. The two sides are maintaining communication regarding President Trump’s visit to China.”
Trump had suggested the highly anticipated trip could be suspended if China did not respond to the US’s request for help from third countries in securing the strait of Hormuz. The strait is a crucial passage for international trade, which has been disrupted by the US-Israeli war with Iran.
On Monday, Scott Bessent, the US treasury secretary, said: “We will see whether the visit takes place as scheduled. But what I do want to parse – and there’s a false narrative out there – that if the meetings are delayed, it wouldn’t be delayed because the president’s demanded that China police the strait of Hormuz.”
Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said it was “quite possible” the meeting would be delayed.
Trump is due to be in Beijing from 31 March to 2 April, where he will meet China’s president.
In an interview published by the Financial Times on Sunday, the US president said: “It’s only appropriate that people who are the beneficiaries of the strait will help to make sure that nothing bad happens there.
“I think China should help too because China gets 90% of its oil from the straits.”
China imports about 50% of its crude oil through the strait of Hormuz.
Beijing has declined to address Trump’s requests, made over the weekend, for other countries to send warships to help secure the vital shipping route.
On Monday, Lin called for a ceasefire in Iran to “prevent further escalation of tensions, avoid turmoil in the region, and prevent greater impacts on global economic development”.
He said China was “maintaining communication with all parties” about the situation and was committed to promoting “de-escalation and easing tensions”.
Tehran has effectively closed the vital waterway, through which about 20% of the world’s oil passes, in retaliation for airstrikes by the US and Israel that killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. The blockage has caused the largest oil supply disruption in history and sent global oil prices soaring.
China is reportedly in talks with the Iranian regime about allowing oil tankers to pass through from the Gulf, but no definitive outcome has been agreed.
Trump and Xi met in South Korea in October and agreed a temporary truce to the US-China trade war that shook the global economy last year.
Bessent and the Chinese vice-premier He Lifeng are due to conclude trade talks in Paris on Monday before the Xi-Trump summit. The two sides have been discussing possible agreements on agricultural and critical mineral trade, with Reuters reporting that the talks have been “remarkably stable” despite the chaotic international environment.
In recent weeks, China has declined to comment on whether Trump’s launch of a major war in the Middle East involving a key Chinese strategic partner would undermine the forthcoming Xi-Trump summit.
A face-to-face meeting between the two leaders is seen as vital to restoring stability between the world’s two biggest economies.
A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington said in a statement to CNN on Sunday: “China will continue to strengthen communication with relevant parties, including parties to the conflict, and play a constructive role for de-escalation and restoration of peace.”
Although China has not officially commented on how recent events may influence the summit, nationalist bloggers and state media suggested that the meeting could be called into question.
Niu Tanqin, an influential foreign affairs blog with ties to Chinese state media, said the “United States was actually begging China to help clean up the mess” created in Iran.
Ren Yi, a nationalist Chinese commentator whose comments are often close to Beijing’s position, wrote on X: “The US openly tramples on international law, launching outrageous attacks against a sovereign state (which also happens to be China’s friendly partner), drawing increasing condemnation and resistance from the international community. Under such circumstances, why expect China to ‘roll out the red carpet’ for Trump?”
Additional research by Yu-Chen Li
