President Donald Trump told reporters Tuesday that he would delay his trip to China for “five or six weeks,” officially pushing the major summit after administration officials opened the door to the trip’s postponement as they focus on the war with Iran.
“We’re resetting the meeting, and it looks like it’ll take place in about five weeks,” Trump said, later saying five or six weeks. “We’re working with China. They were fine with it.”
Trump said that he is looking forward to seeing Chinese President Xi Jinping, adding, “We have a very good working relationship with China.”
White House officials threw the trip’s dates into doubt Monday, saying it could be delayed as the president focuses on Iran. Trump told reporters Monday that the administration requested to delay the visit “a month or so.”
Trump was set to travel to China from March 31 to April 2, according to the White House. The meeting was supposed to focus on trade issues, and it would have come amid tariff tensions between the world’s two biggest economies. The Supreme Court last month struck down many of Trump’s tariffs, reshaping the economic map yet again.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday that “we will see whether the visit takes place as scheduled,” adding that if the trip were to be delayed, “it wouldn’t be delayed because the president’s demanded that China police the Straits of Hormuz.”
Trump said in a phone interview with the Financial Times that he wanted China’s help in reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a major trade route, and that he wanted Beijing’s answer before the visit.
Shortly after Bessent’s remarks, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a Fox News interview that Trump’s “utmost responsibility right now as commander in chief is to ensure the continued success of Operation Epic Fury, as he’s doing a 24/7 here at the White House and here at home.”
Last year, Trump’s trade policies sparked a tit-for-tat tariff escalation between the U.S. and China before settling into a truce. Experts have said the two sides are not expected to have a major breakthrough during the summit.