Washington DC [US], March 17 : US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that his administration is postponing the dates of his China visit.
While participating in a bilateral meeting with Micheal Martin Taoiseach of Ireland, Trump said that the meeting might happen in "five or six" weeks.
"Well yeah, on China, it's a little different story. We are resetting the meeting and it looks like it'll take place in about five weeks. We're working with China. They were fine with it. We're going to see, I look forward to seeing President Xi. He looks forward to seeing me I think, but I do look forward to seeing him. We have a good relationship with China. China actually is, has become economically for us very good, very good as you know. It's much different than it was in the past and we have a very good working relationship with China. So we're making it in about five or six weeks," he said.
Earlier on February 10, Politico had reported that Trump will reportedly visit Beijing in April and meet with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping.
In an interview with NBC News, Trump had said that he will visit China in April.
"I'm gonna be going there in April then he's coming here toward the end of the year," Trump said.
Meanwhile, as the world grapples with a churn in global powers, the Middle East being the eye of the storm, China said on Tuesday that Trump's impending visit to the country has nothing to do with Strait of Hormuz closure.
As both countries attempt at trepid detente, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson's Office said that both sides remain in talks regarding the dates of the visit.
In a post on X, the office said, "We take note of the U.S. clarification about certain media reports. The U.S. side has made clear that those reports are completely "false" and that President Trump's visit to China is not linked to the issue over the Strait of Hormuz. The two sides remain in communication on President Trump's visit to China, including the dates."
https://x.com/MFA_China/status/2033860164022141078?s=20
Trump on Monday said that he had requested that his visit to Beijing at the end of the month be postponed because of the war. Just a day earlier, he threatened to delay the meeting if China did not contribute warships to end Iran's de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which is squeezing oil markets, as per The New York Times.
"I'd love to, but because of the war, I want to be here," Trump said of meeting China's President, Xi Jinping.
Ironically, as it seems, Trump added, "I'm looking forward to being with him. We have a very good relationship," as quoted by The New York Times.
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