Trump plans to delay China visit by 'a month'

(Sharecast News) - US President Donald Trump said he planned to delay a key diplomatic visit to China by about a month because of the Iran war, with both Washington and Beijing denying it was due to the US leader's demand for other countries to provide military escorts for Gulf oil shipments.

The meeting between Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping is currently scheduled for March 31 - April 2, as a follow up to face-to-face talks in last October.

"We've requested that we delay it a month or so," Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday, adding that it was important that he remained available to oversee the war.

Chinese foreign affairs spokesman Lin Jian on Tuesday said that Beijing and Washington were discussing "the timing and related matters of President Trump's visit to China".

Beijing also rejected any connection between the delayed meeting and Trump's demands for other countries to help protect oil shipments through the vital Strait of Hormuz.

"We have noted that the US side has publicly clarified these false reports by the media, stating that the relevant reports are completely wrong, and emphasised that the visit has nothing to do with the issue of the open navigation of the Strait of Hormuz," Jian said.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday also said the delay would not be due to Trump's plea or current trade disagreements between the world's biggest economic powers.

"The president wants to remain in (Washington) DC to coordinate the war effort... Travelling abroad at a time like this may not be optimal," he said.

Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com