Trump postpones trip to China over Iran conflict
US President Donald Trump said he is postponing his highly anticipated trip to Beijing to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping as the war with Iran has upended US foreign policy and delayed efforts to ease tensions between the governments of the world’s two largest economies.
“We’re resetting the meeting… We’re working with China. They’ve had no problem with it,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
Trump was scheduled to travel to Beijing from March 31 to April 2 for the first visit of his 14-month second term.
Trump said the trip will take place in about five or six weeks.
China’s embassy in Washington, DC, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The postponed visit increases uncertainty for both markets and diplomacy as the war with Iran raises oil prices, threatens shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and sharpens investors’ focus on energy security.
The delay would also delay talks between the United States and China aimed at easing trade frictions over Taiwan, tariffs, computer chips, illegal drugs, rare earths and agriculture; Each of these can cause harsh tensions at times.
Trump’s campaign in Iran produced a series of military and economic consequences and attracted the attention of his administration.
Trump’s image on this lavish state visit is increasingly at odds with the struggling U.S. economy and the return of soldiers killed in the Middle East, a person with knowledge of the planning for the Beijing meetings said.
Iran responded to joint US-Israeli attacks by threatening to open fire on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
So far, Trump’s requests for help from allies have been largely rejected.
China, which imports about 12 million barrels of oil per day (the bulk of the world) in the first two months of 2026, has not responded directly to this demand.
China has never officially announced the dates of Trump’s visit and normally does not detail Xi’s schedule well in advance.
Initial preparations for the meeting included talks this week in Paris between US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng.
These talks focused on potential additional U.S. purchases of agricultural products, including poultry, beef, and non-soybean row crops.
The leaders also discussed increasing the flow of rare earth minerals largely controlled by China and new approaches to managing trade and investment between the countries, according to sources familiar with the talks.
“The head of state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable role in providing strategic guidance to China-US relations,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said earlier this week.
