White House says Trump-Xi meeting may be postponed

Overseas Chinese News The White House said on Monday (March 16) that his highly anticipated meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping may be postponed as US President Donald Trump currently focuses on the war with Iran.

According to Reuters, Trump was originally scheduled to visit China from March 31 to April 2. If the trip is postponed, it may further exacerbate tensions between the United States and China. At present, in addition to trade and Taiwan issues, the Iran crisis has also become a new point of disagreement between the two largest economies in the world.

Iran has warned it will fire on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz after a joint US-Israeli attack on Iran, although Iranian ships are still passing through the strait at near normal levels. Trump has called on several countries, including China, to help ensure safe passage of ships through the critical waterway, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil is transported every day.

However, Trump’s request has so far gone largely unanswered. As the world’s largest oil importer, China’s average daily crude oil imports in the first two months of 2026 were about 12 million barrels, but it has not yet directly responded to Trump’s call.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters: “The President looks forward to visiting China. The specific date may be adjusted. As commander-in-chief, his current top priority is to ensure the continued success of this operation – Operation Epic Fury. Once a new date is determined, we will announce it as soon as possible.”

In an interview with the Financial Times on Sunday, Trump said he might postpone the meeting if China did not help lift shipping obstructions in the Strait of Hormuz.

“I don’t think the meeting will be canceled, but it’s possible it could be postponed,” Levitt said earlier on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends.”

A Reuters analysis of shipping data shows that while overall Middle East oil exports have fallen by more than 60% since the war began, Iranian crude is still being shipped through the Strait of Hormuz at near-normal levels. According to U.S. Department of Energy data, most of Iran’s oil exports go to China.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday that Trump may need to postpone the visit to coordinate war operations, not because of demands for China’s help in securing the strait or because of trade differences.

Bessent said: “The president wants to stay in Washington to coordinate war operations. Traveling overseas at this time may not be the most appropriate choice.”

China’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment. Beijing has not announced the exact date of Trump’s visit to China, and China typically does not announce President Xi Jinping’s schedule far in advance.

Despite the possibility of postponement, preparations for the meeting continue. The White House was still working out logistics for the visit on Monday, while Bessant held talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in Paris to lay the groundwork for trade and other deals when Trump and Xi Jinping meet in Beijing.

China showed an openness to further increasing its purchases of U.S. agricultural products, including poultry, beef and non-soybean staple crops, during talks that kicked off on Sunday, a source said before the second day of the meeting. The two sides also discussed the flow of rare earth minerals, for which China dominates global supply, as well as new ways to manage trade and investment relations between the two countries.

Spokespersons for the U.S. Treasury Department and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative declined to comment on the details of the talks.

When asked about Trump’s remarks at a regular press conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said: “Head of state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable role in providing strategic guidance for Sino-US relations.” He added that the two sides are maintaining communication about the visit.

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