Trump Seeks to Delay Meeting with Xi in China
Tuesday, 2026/03/17216 words3 minutes1296 reads
President Donald Trump announced Monday his intention to postpone a high-stakes meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping by approximately one month, citing the escalating Iran conflict as necessitating his presence in Washington to coordinate military operations.
"We've requested that we delay it a month or so," Trump told reporters, emphasizing that overseeing the war effort took precedence over the diplomatic engagement originally scheduled for late March. The Iran conflict has eclipsed most of Trump's foreign policy priorities, with disruptions to global oil supplies threatening to elevate domestic fuel prices.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent clarified that the postponement stemmed solely from logistical concerns rather than substantive disagreements. "The President wants to remain in DC to coordinate the war effort. Travelling abroad at a time like this may not be optimal," Bessent stated, dismissing speculation that trade tensions or Beijing's reluctance to assist in the Gulf influenced the decision.
The development follows Trump's remarks to the Financial Times suggesting he might postpone the meeting if China failed to help unblock the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for Gulf energy shipments. Meanwhile, frictions between the world's two largest economies have intensified, fueled by Beijing's criticism of US-Israeli strikes against Iran and Washington's investigation into Chinese trade practices following the Supreme Court's February rejection of Trump's tariff policy.
