Trump Delays Meeting with Xi Jinping Amid Ongoing Iran War

Tue Mar 17 2026 18:05:51 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

US President Donald Trump has announced a one-month delay for his upcoming visit to China, citing the need to oversee the Iran conflict. The meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping was originally scheduled for late March.

President Donald Trump plans to postpone a high-stakes trip to China by about a month, linking the decision to the ongoing Iran war. He emphasized the importance of being present to manage the conflict. Meanwhile, Chinese officials have confirmed that discussions on the rescheduling are ongoing, denying any connections between the meeting's delay and maritime issues in the Strait of Hormuz.

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he is planning to delay a high stakes visit to China later in March by about a month because of the Iran war.

We've requested that we delay it a month or so, he told reporters at the White House, adding that it was important that he remained available to oversee the war.

The meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping is currently set to take place between 31 March to 2 April, following their last face-to-face talks in October last year.

Chinese foreign affairs spokesman Lin Jian said on Tuesday that Beijing and Washington are in talks over the timing and related matters of President Trump's visit to China.

China also rejected any connection between the delayed meeting and issues around the Strait of Hormuz - a critical waterway for global energy shipments from the Gulf.

On Sunday, Trump told the Financial Times he might postpone the meeting if China did not help unblock the Strait of Hormuz. But on Monday, he said he had proposed the delay solely to make sure he was around to manage the war.

I'm looking forward to being with him, he said, referring to Xi. We have a very good relationship. There's no tricks to it either, Trump added. It's very simple. We've got a war going on. I think it's important that I be here.

The Iran war has eclipsed most of Trump's other foreign policy priorities, faced with an intensifying conflict and disruptions to the global oil supply, which has threatened to raise prices in the US.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday that the meeting's delay would not be due to Washington's request that Beijing help in the Gulf, or any trade disagreements.

Trump's remarks come as frictions between the world's two largest economies have grown, fueled by the Iran war. Beijing is a major buyer of Iranian energy exports and has criticized the US and Israeli strikes against the country.

Representatives from the US and China have met in Paris in recent days for negotiations, such as over investments, tariffs and economic sanctions.

The sides reached consensus on some issues and will carry on with negotiations, Chinese trade representative Li Chenggang was quoted as saying in state media outlet Xinhua on Monday.