U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday (17 March) announced that he is postponing a highly anticipated trip to Beijing to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, citing the war with Iran as the main disruption to efforts to ease tensions between the world’s two largest economies.
The visit, originally scheduled for 31 March to 2 April and set to be the first of Trump’s second term, has been delayed. Trump said the trip will now take place in approximately five to six weeks.
“We are resetting the meeting … We’re working with China. They were fine with it,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
Beijing has not officially confirmed dates for the visit and does not normally publicise President Xi’s schedule far in advance.
The postponement adds uncertainty for markets and diplomacy alike. The war with Iran has driven oil prices higher, threatened shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and heightened investor focus on energy security.
The delay will also sideline discussions intended to ease trade frictions between Washington and Beijing, covering issues including Taiwan, tariffs, computer chips, illegal drugs, rare earth minerals and agriculture.
Early preparations included talks this week in Paris between U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, focusing on potential additional purchases of U.S. agricultural goods - including poultry, beef and non-soybean row crops - as well as on managing trade and investment flows.
“Head-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable role in providing strategic guidance to China–U.S. relations,” said Lin Jian, a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry.
Trump’s campaign in Iran has generated widespread military and economic consequences, consuming attention across his administration.
Iran has responded to joint U.S.–Israeli attacks by threatening vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, through which around one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes each day.
Trump has called on multiple nations, including China, to help secure shipping, but Beijing has not responded directly.
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