US President Donald Trump announced on his Truth Social platform that he will visit China on May 14-15 and meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping there. This would be the first visit by a US president to China in nearly 10 years. Trump also plans to host Xi in Washington DC later this year, but these visits were delayed due to US and Israeli military operations against Iran.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the dates of Trump's visit, stating that Xi Jinping had understood and accepted the request to postpone. At a press briefing, she said: "President Xi understood that it's very important for the president to be here throughout these combat operations." However, Beijing has not officially confirmed these dates yet, as Xi's schedule is typically not disclosed in advance.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters on Thursday that "both sides are maintaining communication regarding President Trump's visit to China" and that "leader-level diplomacy plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role" in bilateral ties. Trump's trip, originally slated for March 31, was postponed after the US and Israel launched wide-ranging strikes on Iran last month, killing the country's supreme leader.
The war against Iran has led to a global fuel crisis, as Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz—a key waterway for the world's oil and liquefied natural gas. Trump has urged US allies to help unblock the strait and threatened Iran with attacks on its energy production infrastructure if full access is not allowed. When asked about the timeline for the war winding down, Leavitt said they had "always estimated approximately four to six weeks, so you can do the math on that."
Relations between the two countries have long been plagued by sore spots ranging from trade friction to tech competition and geopolitical tensions. Trump's visit will be closely watched for any signs of easing tensions. Chinese state media has encouraged US officials to visit and interact with Chinese counterparts, with a Global Times editorial calling the lack of people-to-people exchanges and the long absence of a US presidential visit to China "abnormal and should not be the case."
Source: www.bbc.com