WASHINGTON — The eagerly awaited meeting between President Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping may face delays due to logistical challenges related to the ongoing conflict in Iran, as stated by White House officials.
President Trump is currently scheduled to visit China from March 31 to April 2 to engage in discussions on various issues with President Xi. This visit would be the first by a U.S. president to China since President Trump’s own visit in November 2017.
“At this stage, it’s a conversation between leaders,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt informed reporters on Monday morning. “The president is eager to visit China, but the dates might need to be adjusted.”
“As the commander in chief, his top priority right now is ensuring the continued success of Operation Epic Fury. We will provide updates on the new dates shortly,” Leavitt added.
Since the onset of the conflict on February 28, Iran has aimed to exert economic pressure on the U.S. while straining its alliances by obstructing shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial passage for over a quarter of the world’s seaborne oil supply each year.
Iranian attacks on tankers and other vessels have driven oil prices to surge, reaching as high as $106 per barrel earlier on Monday.
To counter that, the Trump administration has announced plans to release some 172 million barrels of oil from US strategic reserves, part of a broader effort by 32 countries to release 400 million barrels of oil.
Trump has also pushed other countries to provide naval escorts for vessels attempting to travel through the channel.
“It’s only appropriate that people who are the beneficiaries of the Strait will help to make sure that nothing bad happens there,” Trump told the Financial Times over the weekend, referring to China, which gets much of its oil from Iran via the Strait of Hormuz.
“If there’s no response or if it’s a negative response, I think it will be very bad for the future of NATO.”
“There’s a false narrative that if the meetings are delayed — it wouldn’t be delayed because the president has demanded that China police the Strait of Hormuz,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC Monday morning.
“If the meeting for some reason is rescheduled, it would be because the president wants to remain in DC to coordinate the war effort.”
Bessent has been in Paris for trade talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, which are intended to lay the groundwork for the larger summit between Trump and Xi.
