US President Donald Trump is now considering postponing his high-stakes meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, the BBC has reported.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Monday, Trump said he may delay the meeting for a month or so, stressing that it was crucial that he remain in the US to oversee the war.
The meeting between the two leaders is scheduled to take place between March 31 and April 2, marking their second visit since Trump took office in January last year. The first meeting between the two after Trump won a second term took place in South Korea in October on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.
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China’s reaction to the delayed meeting
Lin Jian, a Chinese foreign policy spokesman, said on Tuesday that Beijing and Washington were working to determine “the timing and related matters of President Trump’s visit to China.”
Beijing also denied any link between the delayed meeting and issues surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway responsible for nearly 20% of the world’s oil supplies. The spokesman added: “We note that the US side has publicly clarified these false media reports, stating that the relevant reports are completely false and stressing that the visit has nothing to do with the issue of open navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.”
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The strait was closed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) after the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran. The closure of the strait sparked panic among traders and rattled global energy markets last week, raising fears of oil supply disruptions.
Trump asks China for help in reopening the strait
According to a report in the Financial Times on March 15, Trump said he would “postpone” the meeting if Beijing did not help Washington reopen the Strait of Hormuz. But he said on Monday that the delay was only to ensure he was available to manage the war.
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Commenting on the proposed delay, Trump said, “There’s no trickery involved either,” adding. “It’s very simple. We have a war here. I think it’s important that I’m here.”
Trump also said he was looking forward to meeting Xi, saying the two had a “very good relationship.”
Is US-China friction growing?
Friction between the world’s two largest economies is growing over the Iran war, according to a BBC report. Beijing, which is one of the biggest buyers of Iran’s energy exports, has called for a ceasefire and criticized US and Israeli strikes against the country.
Last week, Washington also announced that it had opened a trade investigation against Beijing and a dozen other countries for “unfair trade practices.”
In recent days, representatives of the US and China met in Paris to discuss investments, tariffs and economic sanctions. The two sides have reached consensus on several issues and will continue negotiations, Chinese trade representative Li Chenggang said.
Chinese negotiators also expressed “serious concern” over Washington’s plans to investigate Beijing’s trade practices and urged it to maintain economic stability.
