Officially, the White House denies that the summit date is linked to the war in Iran
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 is over.
This was reported by RBK-Ukraine, citing sources from Politico.
Also read: Iran may become an obstacle for Trump’s meeting with Xi Jinping
An unnamed diplomat from Washington, familiar with the preparations for the Trump-Xi summit, stated that U.S. authorities have indicated that new dates for the leaders’ talks will only be proposed after the active phase of the conflict in the Middle East ends.
This information was confirmed by another anonymous source close to the administration and knowledgeable about the planning of the meeting.
At the same time, the White House denies that the timing of the summit 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 – announcements will be made soon,” said White House spokesperson Anna Kelly.
As is known, the meeting between the U.S. and Chinese leaders, which was planned for the end of 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 war in the Middle East continues to escalate and is already affecting global politics and economics, including 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 lack of a personal meeting between the leaders does not necessarily jeopardize 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.
It is worth noting that recently Trump and Xi had a phone conversation. Politico believes that the discussion was a preparation for a new trip. The leaders discussed various issues, from trade problems to external conflicts.
According to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, dialogue between the U.S. and China is “vital” to prevent global mistakes.
