China said on Tuesday it had “noted” clarifications from the United States about the reasons for a possible delay to President Donald Trump’s planned trip.
Trump had expected to visit Beijing in late March, but said Monday he had asked Beijing to postpone his summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping by about a month because of the war in the Middle East.
“Because of the war I want to be here, I have to be here, I think. And so we’ve asked to delay it a month or so,” Trump told reporters at the White House when asked about the China trip.
Trump insisted he maintained a “very good relationship” with China and was not trying to play games by delaying the long-awaited trip to the rival superpower.
Earlier, Trump suggested his visit could hinge on whether China helped Washington reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the vital sea route that has been effectively closed by Iran in retaliation for US and Israeli attacks.
But China accepted Trump’s request on Tuesday, in a statement rejecting any connection to the issues surrounding Hormuz.
“We have noticed that the US side has publicly clarified these false reports from the media, stating that the relevant reports are completely wrong, and emphasized that the visit has nothing to do with the issue of open navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said during a press conference on Tuesday.
“Both China and the US are maintaining communications about Trump’s visit to China,” he said, without giving further details.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also said on Monday that meeting Trump’s request that China help reopen the waterway was a “false narrative”.
About a fifth of global oil supplies normally pass through the Strait of Hormuz, and its closure has sent oil prices soaring above $100 a barrel.
Trade talks
Washington has said Trump will visit China from March 31 to April 2 to restore ties and extend a US-China trade truce, although Beijing had not confirmed those dates, in line with its usual practice.
On Monday, both countries hailed “constructive” trade talks between Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in Paris over the weekend, which were widely seen as setting the stage for the summit.
Bessent told reporters that the discussions “show the stability of the relationship,” while he said the exchange would inject “greater certainty” into bilateral trade ties.
Also at the talks were US trade envoy Jameson Greer and Chinese trade negotiator Li Chenggang.
Officials also discussed creating a “US-China trade board,” Greer said.
That would help formalize and identify what the United States should import and export to China, he added, to ensure “we can focus on areas of mutual benefit.”
However, the Paris talks follow a tumultuous year in ties between the world’s two largest economies since Trump returned to power.
The United States last week announced new trade investigations into industrial overcapacity and forced labor, targeting 60 economies, including China and other key partners.
The prospect has raised the possibility of further tariffs after the Supreme Court struck down Trump’s global obligations.
Beijing has said it has “made representations” and asked Washington to “correct its wrongful trade practices”.
