Trump-Xi Summit Postponed: Media Learn the Reason
22 March 04:16
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has informed foreign officials that it will not set a new date for a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping until the active phase of the war with Iran has ended.
This was reported by [Komersant], citing sources at Politico.
An unnamed diplomat in Washington familiar with the preparations for the Trump-Xi summit stated that the U.S. government has made it clear: new dates for the leaders’ talks will be proposed only after the active phase of the conflict in the Middle East has ended.
This information was also confirmed by another anonymous source close to the administration and familiar with the planning of the meeting.
At the same time, the White House denies that the summit’s timing is tied to the war with Iran.
“This is fake news. The U.S. and China are engaged in productive negotiations regarding the rescheduling of President Trump’s visit—an announcement will be made shortly,” said White House spokesperson Anna Kelly.
As is known, the meeting between the leaders of the U.S. and China, which was planned for late March, has already been postponed for several weeks due to the war in Iran, which has become a key priority for Washington.
Against this backdrop, the conflict in the Middle East continues to escalate and is already affecting global politics and the economy, particularly U.S.-China relations.
During their previous meeting in October in South Korea, Trump and Xi made progress in preventing the escalation of the trade war. China promised to increase purchases of American agricultural products and ease restrictions on the export of critical minerals, while the U.S. agreed to extend the pause on imposing high tariffs on Chinese goods.
Experts believe that the absence of a face-to-face meeting between the leaders will not necessarily derail the stabilization of relations. At the same time, they warn of the risks of new points of tension that could affect the fragile truce between the countries.
