China "Coordinating Trump's Visit Date"... Foreign Media: "Postponement Favors China"

Chinese Spokesperson Avoids Giving a Specific Date

The United States and China have been weighing the timing of their summit. The two leaders initially planned to meet at the end of this month, but the schedule was postponed at the request of U.S. President Donald Trump. Foreign media have analyzed that this change in schedule could create a situation more favorable to China.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are leaving the venue after concluding the US-China summit at Naraemaru within the 5th Air Mobility Wing of Busan Air Force Base in October last year. Photo by Yonhap News

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian stated during a regular briefing on the 17th (local time), "Summit diplomacy plays an irreplaceable role in providing strategic guidance to the bilateral relationship," adding, "The two countries will continue to communicate regarding President Trump's visit to China."

Major foreign media outlets, including NBC News, also reported that President Trump said he is "rescheduling the summit, which will likely take place in about five to six weeks." Spokesperson Lin added the previous day, "We are communicating, including about the date," and said, "At this time, I have nothing further to add."

President Trump stated to the press on the 16th that he had requested a roughly one-month postponement of his visit to China due to the ongoing war in the Middle East. At the time, President Trump had also called on South Korea, China, and Japan to jointly guard the Strait of Hormuz, which was blocked by Iran, leading some to suggest that this was being set as a condition for his visit to China.

In response, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview with CNBC, "The change in schedule is purely due to logistical reasons and is not intended to pressure Beijing." President Trump also told reporters at the White House, "I want to visit China, but because of the war, I want to be in the United States, and I need to be in the United States."

Spokesperson Lin stated, "China has taken note that the U.S. side has already publicly clarified inaccurate reports and stated that these reports are completely inconsistent with the facts, emphasizing that (Trump's) visit is unrelated to the navigation issue in the Strait of Hormuz."

After much back and forth, the visit to China has been postponed, and there are projections that this situation is more advantageous for China than for the United States. The New York Times reported, "The longer the war drags on, the greater the pressure on the Trump administration, giving China more leverage," adding, "This postponement could serve China's interests." Bloomberg also assessed, "Although there is a risk of injecting new uncertainty into the relationship between the two major economies, the development is likely to be welcomed by the Chinese government."

However, the Chinese state-run English-language newspaper Global Times, citing Professor Li Haidong of the China Foreign Affairs University, reported, "The postponement of the schedule is not an issue for China but stems entirely from uncertainty on the U.S. side," and added, "The American media's claims of 'Chinese advantage' reflect cynicism toward the White House and reveal a zero-sum mentality that fuels U.S.-China friction."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.