Despite the Iran war forcing a postponement, Trump confirms his May meeting with Xi Jinping.

 

Donald Trump's visit to China would be the first for a US president in nearly 10 years (Image: Getty Images)

After delaying the historic trip due to the war between the US and Israel with Iran, US President Donald Trump has announced that he will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in China on May 14 and 15. This would be the first visit to China by a US president in nearly 10 years.

 Trump is also set to host Xi in Washington DC later this year, and officials are "finalizing preparations for these Historic Visits", he wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday.

 White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the dates of Trump's visit, telling reporters that President Xi had understood and accepted the request to postpone the trip.

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 Leavitt stated at a press conference on Wednesday, "President Xi understood that it is very important for the president to be here during these combat operations right now." Beijing has not confirmed the dates listed by Trump - though it does not typically reveal Xi's schedule so far in advance.

 Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters on Thursday that "both sides are maintaining communication regarding President Trump's visit to China".

 "Leader-level diplomacy plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role" in bilateral ties, he added.

After the United States and Israel carried out extensive strikes on Iran last month, killing the country's supreme leader, Trump's trip, originally scheduled for March 31, was postponed. Iran responded by attacking Israel and US-allied nations in the Gulf and effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for the transportation of oil and liquefied natural gas around the world. This caused a global fuel shortage. Trump has urged US allies to help unblock the strait.  He also said that if Iran didn't let everyone through the waterway, he would attack its energy production infrastructure. When asked if the Iran war would wind down by the time Trump visits China, Leavitt said they had "always estimated approximately four to six weeks, so you can do the math on that".

 The last time a US president visited China was in November 2017, during Trump's first term.

 On the sidelines of the Apec summit, Trump and Xi last met in October in South Korea. Ties between the two countries have long been plagued by sore spots ranging from trade friction to tech competition and geopolitical tensions.  Trump's visit will be closely watched for any signs of easing tensions.

 Ahead of Trump's visit, Chinese state media has encouraged US officials to visit and interact with their Chinese counterparts.

A Global Times editorial published on Thursday said the lack of people-to-people exchanges between the countries and the long absence of a US presidential visit to China was "abnormal and should not be the case".

 "History has repeatedly shown that both China and the US stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation," it said.

Source: BBC