Trump plans China visit in May after Iran war delay

Washington – (Web Desk) – US President Donald Trump will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in May during his first visit to China in eight years. The trip was delayed because of the ongoing Iran war.

Trump wants to show confidence during the tense situation in the Middle East. At the same time, he is trying to handle the strained ties between the world’s two largest economies.

The visit was first planned for next week. Now, Trump will travel to Beijing on May 14 and 15. He shared this update on Truth Social. He also said he will invite Xi to visit Washington later this year.

Trump said both sides are preparing for these important meetings. He added that he looks forward to spending time with Xi and expects it to be a major event.

China’s embassy said it has no details about the visit yet. Usually, Beijing shares the president’s schedule only a few days in advance.

This trip has faced several delays before. In February, the US Supreme Court limited the president’s power to impose tariffs. This reduced one of Trump’s key tools in trade talks. Later, the joint US and Israeli military action against Iran created more tension, especially since China is a major buyer of Iranian oil.

Trump’s last trip to China, in 2017, was the most recent by a US president. Trump’s visit in May will be the leaders’ first in-person talks since an October meeting in South Korea, where they agreed on a trade truce.

The two-day trip is set to combine the lavish pomp and circumstance that has become a feature of Trump’s trips abroad with hard-nosed diplomacy.

While the two sides could strike goodwill agreements in Beijing on trade in agriculture and aero plane parts, they are also expected to discuss areas of deep tension like Taiwan, where little progress is expected.

Trump has dramatically ramped up US arms sales to Taiwan during his second term in office. The moves have angered Beijing, which claims the democratically governed island as its own territory.

It is also not clear whether the war with Iran, which has shaken the global economy, will be settled by the time of the Xi-Trump meeting.

Peace talks with Iran and the role of Pakistan

Trump has sought support from the world’s major oil consumers, including China, to help counter Iran’s efforts to close the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump’s request for assistance so far has largely been rebuffed. China, which imported around 12 million barrels of oil daily during the first two months of 2026, the most in the world, has not directly responded to his request.

Asked whether the war could wind down in time for the China trip, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Wednesday that “we’ve always estimated approximately four to six weeks. So you could do the math on that.”

Leavitt also said Trump and Xi spoke about rescheduling the trip and that Xi had understood the reasons for doing so.

“President Xi understood that it’s very important for the president to be here throughout these combat operations right now,” she said.