US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he is planning to delay a visit to China later in March by about a month because of the Iran war, the BBC reported.
“We’ve requested that we delay it a month or so,” the BBC quoted Trump as saying at a press briefing in the White House, adding that it was important that he remained available to oversee the war.
Trump said he had proposed the delay solely to make sure he was around to manage the war.
“I’m looking forward to being with him,” he said, referring to Chinese President Xi Jinping. “We have a very good relationship.”
“There’s no tricks to it either,” Trump added. “It’s very simple. We’ve got a war going on. I think it’s important that I be here.”
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday that the meeting’s delay would not be due to Washington’s request that Beijing help in the Gulf, or any trade disagreements.
Bessent said: “The President wants to remain in DC to coordinate the war effort… Travelling abroad at a time like this may not be optimal.”
The latest development comes a day after Trump told the Financial Times that he might postpone the meeting if China did not help unblock the Strait of Hormuz – a critical waterway for the Gulf’s energy shipments.
He also called on other nations to help ships transit safely through the channel.
Published by Armenpress, original at
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