President Donald Trump has rescheduled his trip to China for May, after delaying the landmark trip amid the escalating conflict with Iran.
According to the new timeline, the US President will meet Chinese president Xi Jinping on May 14-15, as confirmed by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
“President Xi understood that it’s very important for the president to be here throughout these combat operations right now,” Leavitt said at a press briefing on Wednesday.
Trump posted on his Truth Social platform “I look very much forward to spending time with President Xi in what will be, I’m sure, a Monumental Event.”
Later this year, the Trump administration will also host Xi in Washington DC and officials are “finalizing preparations for these upcoming historic visits,” Trump added.
Previously, Trump was scheduled to visit China on March 31. Given the announcement of new dates, Beijing has not yet responded to the new schedule listed by the administration.
The announcement comes as conflict between US-Israel and Iran has escalated followed by the wide-ranging strikes on each other.
In recent months, Iran launched attacks on various Gulf countries, damaging energy infrastructure and closing the Strait of Hormuz indefinitely.
The persistent blockade of Hormuz has caused a global fuel crisis defined by rising prices of oil and gas.
