US President Donald Trump will now visit China on 14 and 15 May. The White House announced this on Wednesday. The visit was earlier scheduled for the end of this month, but was postponed due to the Iran war.
Announcing Trump’s much-anticipated visit to China, White House Press Secretary Carolyn Leavitt said the US President and First Lady Melania Trump will also host President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan on their return visit to Washington DC later this year. The White House says the Trump-Xi meeting is important for global economic and security cooperation and the two leaders will soon hold talks on bilateral issues.
The trip was postponed due to Iran war
When Leavitt was asked whether the two leaders had discussed the end of the war as a precondition for rescheduling this meeting, he responded that there had been no discussion between the President and Xi about rescheduling the meeting. Leavitt said President Xi understood that it was very important for the president to be here at this time for the entire region. He clearly understood and accepted the request for adjournment, that is why our meeting is taking place.
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Last year both the leaders met in October
When asked if the war would be over by the time of the May meeting, Leavitt said, “As I have said, we have always estimated about four to six weeks.” Trump and Xi last met in person in October on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Busan, South Korea. During a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Michelle Martin in the Oval Office last week, Trump said he would visit China in five or six weeks instead of at the end of the month.
He had said that he would reschedule his visit to China. Trump said we are working with China, he was fine with that. I look forward to meeting President Xi. I think he is looking forward to meeting me.
Tension continues in West Asia
It is noteworthy that on February 28, America and Israel had launched a joint attack on Iran, in response to which the Islamic State’s retaliatory action spread the war to the entire Gulf region. Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the attack by America and Israel. The joint strikes came days after Trump stepped up pressure on Tehran to agree to a new deal over its nuclear program. The conflict has also taken a toll on energy supply chains, especially across the Strait of Hormuz.