'Trump to meet Xi in Beijing on May 14-15', says White House after delay due to Iran war
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'Trump to meet Xi in Beijing on May 14-15', says White House after delay due to Iran war")
'Trump to meet Xi in Beijing on May 14-15', says White House after delay due to Iran war Photograph: (AFP)
Donald Trump will meet Xi Jinping in Beijing on May 14–15 after delaying the trip due to Iran conflict, with trade talks and diplomacy in focus
Donald Trump announced on Wednesday (March 25) that he will travel to Beijing in May to meet Xi Jinping, following the postponement of an earlier planned summit due to the ongoing conflict involving Iran. The visit, now scheduled for May 14–15, had initially been planned for late March. Trump described the upcoming meeting as a major and historic occasion, adding that he also intends to host Xi and his wife in Washington, DC later this year.
"My meeting with the Highly Respected President of China, President Xi Jinping, which was originally postponed due to our Military operation in Iran, has been rescheduled, and will take place in Beijing on May 14th and 15th," Trump said on his Truth Social network. Officials from both the White House and China are currently completing arrangements for the meetings in both countries. "I look very much forward to spending time with President Xi in what will be, I am sure, a Monumental Event," Trump added.
The White House confirmed the revised dates shortly before Trump’s statement. The trip will mark Trump’s first visit to China during his second term and is expected to focus heavily on improving strained trade relations between the two global economic powers. The two leaders last met in South Korea in October, where they agreed to ease tensions stemming from ongoing trade disputes initiated by US tariffs.
Earlier this month, Trump explained that he requested the delay to remain in the US during military operations in the Middle East. "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," Trump told reporters at the time.
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White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt declined to confirm whether the rescheduling indicates expectations about the conflict’s duration. "We've always estimated approximately four to six weeks (for the length of military operations against Iran), so you could do the math on that," she said. “President Xi understood that it's very important for the president to be here throughout these combat operations right now. He understood obviously the request to postpone and accepted it.”
Meanwhile, analysts suggest that China may gain leverage in upcoming negotiations. The US military involvement alongside Israel has intensified instability in the Middle East, driven up global energy prices, and raised concerns about supply disruptions, especially due to Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz. With geopolitical pressure mounting and limited backing from allies, Trump may enter the talks seeking a diplomatic success. This could strengthen China’s position in pushing for reduced tariffs and resisting US demands on issues such as critical mineral access.
