Trump-Xi China summit may be delayed if Trump wants to stay in Washington for Iran war: Bessent
Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, shakes hands with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent before the first meeting of the China-US economic and trade consultation mechanism in London, England, June 9, 2025.
Li Ying | Xinhua News Agency | Getty Images
The meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese Leader Xi Jinping may be postponed for logistical reasons, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday during an appearance on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”
Trump suggested on Sunday that the summit could be postponed as the United States pressures China to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Bessent walked back those comments on Monday and argued that the summit would be postponed if Trump chose to stay in Washington to coordinate the war effort in Iran.
“If the talks are delayed, they won’t be delayed because the president has requested that China deploy police in the Strait of Hormuz,” Bessent said in an interview with CNBC’s Brian Sullivan in Paris. he said. “If the meeting is rescheduled for any reason, it will be rescheduled for logistics reasons.”
The Trump-Xi meeting is scheduled to take place in China as the US president launches an attack on Iran that has largely closed the Strait of Hormuz and caused global oil prices to rise. The strait carries roughly 20% of the world’s oil and remained largely impassable during the war.
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