President Donald Trump’s official visit to Beijing will now take place on May 14-15, the White House announced on Thursday, after initial plans to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in late March or early April were postponed following the launch of the US-Israeli war against Iran on February 28.
“I am pleased to announce that President Trump’s meeting and long‑awaited meeting with President Xi in China will take place in Beijing on May 14 and 15,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.
On the need to reschedule the trip, Leavitt said: “President Xi understood that it’s very important for the president to be here throughout these combat operations right now.”
"First Lady Melania and President Trump will also host President Xi and Madame Peng for a reciprocal visit in Washington, DC, at a later date to be announced this year," she added.
Trump later confirmed the double visits on his Truth Social platform, noting: “Our Representatives are finalizing preparations for these Historic Visits. I look very much forward to spending time with President Xi in what will be, I am sure, a Monumental Event.”
Sign of war’s end?
When pressed by reporters, Leavitt suggested that the conflict in the Middle East might end by the time the President travels to Beijing, saying “We’ve always estimated approximately four to six weeks, so you can do the math on that.”
Trump’s last visit to China in 2017 remains the most recent trip to the country by a US president. The upcoming visit will mark the first face‑to‑face talks between Trump and Xi since their meeting in South Korea in October, where they agreed to a trade truce.
Lots to talk about
Since his first term in office, Donald Trump has imposed steep tariffs on China in an effort to bolster US industry and address what he has long described as an unfair trade imbalance. However, his ability to enforce broad tariff measures has been constrained following a US Supreme Court ruling in February that invalidated all tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, prompting his administration to introduce instead a flat 10 percent tariff from March 1 under a separate legal authority.
The ongoing war in Iran is also expected to feature prominently during Trump’s visit to Beijing; China has offered only muted criticism of the US campaign, which analysts say may ultimately serve Beijing’s interests by stretching US military resources and limiting Washington’s strategic focus in Asia.
The two‑day trip will blend ceremonial pageantry with hard‑edged diplomacy, with both sides potentially agreeing on goodwill arrangements involving agricultural and aviation products, while also confronting contentious issues such as Taiwan – an area where little progress is anticipated. Trump has sharply increased US arms sales to Taiwan during his second term, angering Beijing, which considers the self‑governed island part of its own territory.
Source: CNA, Guardian, Al Jazeera