On March 17, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he is delaying a vital meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, following the U.S.’ continued efforts against Iran.
Initially set from March 31 to April 2, Trump now says the meeting will occur in “about five or six weeks,” though no specific date was given.
“We are resetting the meeting,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, according to Reuters. “We’re working with China. They were fine with it.”
Trump also said he wishes to stay in Washington to oversee the conflict with Iran.
“Because of the war, I want to be here. I have to be here,” he said.
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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt assured on March 18 that the new dates would be communicated “as soon as we can.”
A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington said that “China and the U.S. remain in communication on President Trump’s visit to China.”
Lin Jian, Beijing’s foreign affairs spokesperson, said on Tuesday that the two countries are still discussing “the timing and related matters of President Trump’s visit to China.”
Reuters reported that delaying the visit would stall efforts to mend U.S.-China relations on several fronts, including trade tariffs, Taiwan, and China’s export controls on rare earth minerals and fentanyl.
However, analysts believe that the delay could also allow more time for “a more substantive outcome” following further preparations from the U.S.
According to Chen Qi, professor of international relations at Tsinghua University, regular high-level contacts suggest that both the U.S. and China are committed to containing their disputes rather than letting them explode.
“Therefore, allowing short-term disruptions to alter the broader trend of stabilizing ties would not serve the interests of both sides,” he said, according to the South China Morning Post.
Lin Jian also denied that the closing of the Hormuz Strait had anything to do with the delayed meeting.
Trump had already met with Xi in October last year, however this would be his first visit to China since 2017.
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Foreign policies shaken
With Iran’s closure of the Hormuz Strait, the world’s oil supply has been hit hard and Trump’s reputation has been further strained. The president has called on allies and other nations to aid the U.S. in the growing conflict. So far, none have answered his requests.
The Associated Press (AP) wrote that Trump could be visiting Xi Jinping to convince him to form “a new coalition” to resume oil tanker traffic through the strait.
“We strongly encourage other nations whose economies depend on the strait far more than ours,” Trump said on March 16. “We want them to come and help us with the strait.”
Ali Wyne, senior research and advocacy adviser for U,S.-China relations at the International Crisis Group, said that Trump’s delayed visit with Xi “underscores how significantly he underestimated the fallout” of the U.S.’ conflict with Iran.
“A show of U.S. force that was meant to intimidate Beijing has instead served to puncture the illusion of U.S. omnipotence,” he said. “Unable to reopen the Strait of Hormuz alone, Washington now needs its principal strategic competitor to help it manage a crisis of its own making.”
Though Beijing denies involvement in Iran, it called once more for “parties to immediately stop military operations” and prevent more “regional turmoil from further impacting the global economy.”
During his visit with Xi in October last year, Trump did not discuss Taiwan. However, in a phone call in February, Xi did warn Trump to carefully resolve arms sales to Taiwan.
Song Luzheng, international affairs researcher at Fudan University’s China Institute, said, “Trump might consider that negotiating with China at this time would be relatively disadvantageous, as he would have fewer bargaining chips.
“Moreover, if China and the U.S. were to have disputes over the Iran issue, that would represent an even greater loss,” Song added.
