WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� President is delaying a diplomatic trip to China that had been but began to unravel as he to use their military might to protect the .
Trump said Tuesday while meeting with Irish Prime Minister Miche谩l Martin in the Oval Office that he would be going to China in five or six weeks鈥� time instead of at the end of the month. He said he would be 鈥渞esetting鈥� his visit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
鈥淲e鈥檙e working with China 鈥� they were fine with it,” Trump said. 鈥淚 look forward to seeing President Xi. He looks forward to seeing me, I think.鈥�
Trump鈥檚 visit to China is seen as an opportunity to build on a fragile trade truce between the two superpowers, but it has become tangled in his effort to find an endgame to the war in Iran. Soon after pressing China and other nations to send warships to secure access to Middle Eastern oil over the weekend, Trump indicated his travel plans depended on Beijing’s response, though he added Tuesday that the U.S. didn’t need help from the allies who rebuffed his request.
In a Sunday interview with the Financial Times, Trump said he wanted to know whether Beijing would help secure the strait before he departed for the late-March summit. On Monday, he told reporters that he had requested a delay of about a month because of the demands of the war.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 important that I be here,鈥� Trump said. 鈥淎nd so it could be that we delay a little bit. Not much.鈥�
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who met with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in Paris this week for a new round of talks meant to pave the way for Trump鈥檚 trip, said any changes to the schedule would be because of logistics, not because Trump was trying to pressure Beijing.
Trump is urging other nations that rely on Middle Eastern oil to help police the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway through which about one-fifth of the world鈥檚 traded oil usually flows. He has singled out China, noting that it gets much of its oil from the strait while the U.S. gets a minimal amount. He also made appeals to Japan, South Korea, Britain and France. There have been no takers so far, and China has been noncommittal.
鈥淲e strongly encourage other nations whose economies depend on the strait far more than ours,鈥� Trump said at the White House on Monday. 鈥淲e want them to come and help us with the strait.鈥�
Trump is to the world being carried out by the U.S. and Israel, saying it鈥檚 now time for others to do their share to protect the strait. Some world leaders have directly rebuffed the notion and objected to the U.S.’ military approach.
Trump鈥檚 trip to China carries major geopolitical consequences as the two nations seek stability in the wake of a trade war that led to soaring tariffs before both sides eased off. Trump and Xi agreed to a last fall, and Trump later agreed to a state visit to Beijing. He in 2017, during his first term.
China鈥檚 foreign minister said last week that the country in its relationship with the U.S. He added that China鈥檚 attitude 鈥渉as always been positive and open, and the key is for the U.S. side to meet us halfway.鈥�
Trump鈥檚 priorities have shifted as the war sends oil prices skyrocketing during a tough midterm year in which for American voters. In addition to postponing his China trip, he has given Russia a boost by , and he , something he previously objected to doing.
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