President Donald Trump told reporters Tuesday that he has delayed his trip to China for “five or six weeks” to focus on the war against Iran.
Trump told the Financial Times Sunday that he would postpone the trip if Chinese President Xi Jinping wouldn’t help secure the Strait of Hormuz.
“It’s only appropriate that people who are the beneficiaries of the Strait will help to make sure that nothing bad happens there,” Trump said. He said that 90 per cent of China’s oil comes from the Middle East.
“We’re resetting the meeting, and it looks like it’ll take place in about five weeks,” Trump said. “We’re working with China. They were fine with it.”
The trip was scheduled for March 31 to April 2 and focused on trade.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday that “we will see whether the visit takes place as scheduled,” adding that if the trip were delayed, “it wouldn’t be delayed because the president’s demanded that China police the Straits of Hormuz,” NBC News reported.
After Bessent’s comments, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that the president’s “utmost responsibility right now as commander in chief is to ensure the continued success of Operation Epic Fury, as he’s doing 24/7 here at the White House and here at home.”
Official Chinese customs data show that in 2025, China got less than half of its oil from the Middle East. Russia supplied just under one-fifth of China’s oil, and sanctioned Iranian oil accounted for 11.5 per cent. (UPI)
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