US President Donald Trump’s request to postpone his planned summit in Beijing with Chinese leader Xi Jinping has cast a shadow over bilateral engagement that had remained stable since their last meeting in October, though analysts believe the delay is unlikely to trigger a major rupture in ties, Reuters reported.
Observers say the development underlines how the ongoing Iran conflict has reshaped Trump’s foreign policy agenda, adding war-related pressures to existing differences over trade and Taiwan between the world’s two largest economies.
The proposed delay comes soon after Washington and Beijing concluded high-stakes trade negotiations in Paris aimed at preparing the ground for Trump’s China visit, which was originally expected later this month.
The talks followed new US investigations into alleged “unfair trade practices” designed to rebuild trade pressure globally, including on China, after the US Supreme Court struck down Trump’s sweeping tariffs last month.
“The situation is not in jeopardy, and Beijing still wants to organise the summit, but the US-Iran conflict and the Supreme Court ruling on tariff policies have complicated these efforts,” Zhao Minghao, an international relations expert at Shanghai’s Fudan University, told Reuters.
“It makes US-China interactions this year more difficult because of Trump’s ‘war of choice’ in Iran. ”
Zhao added that the postponement could also create space for additional trade actions. “The White House says it will continue its tariff policy, but without a doubt, we could see new uncertainties in this regard that impact Beijing’s calculations on dealing with the US,” he said.
According to a source familiar with the Paris discussions, China signalled openness to potential additional purchases of US agricultural goods, including poultry, beef and non-soybean crops. The two sides also examined issues related to rare earth mineral supplies — an area in which China holds considerable global leverage — as well as new approaches to managing trade and investment flows.
In an editorial published on Tuesday, state-run China Daily described the negotiations as “constructive” but cautioned that Beijing’s “openness should not be mistaken for acquiescence.” The commentary urged Washington to avoid actions that could destabilise economic relations. “The US side should refrain from taking any further actions that could disrupt or undermine a stable China-US economic relationship. Actions that inject uncertainty — whether tariffs, restrictive measures or unilateral investigations — do just that,” it said.
Alfred Wu of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy noted that changes in summit planning were not ideal from China’s perspective. “The fluctuations (in plans) are not ideal from China’s perspective, China actually wants something more predictable,” he said.
US officials have offered differing explanations for the possible postponement. Trump told Britain’s Financial Times that he might delay the meeting if China did not help unblock the Strait of Hormuz. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent later indicated that the timing could be affected by coordination of the war effort rather than trade disputes or requests linked to the waterway.
Despite the uncertainty, analysts said both countries remain focused on maintaining stability in relations while continuing preparations for a potential visit. For China’s export-driven economy, managing growing global economic uncertainty remains a top priority.
“China’s first priority remains keeping the relationship with the United States relatively steady so it can continue focusing on self-strengthening in preparation for the longer-term strategic competition ahead,” Patricia Kim, a foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution, said.
Neil Thomas, a fellow on Chinese politics at the Asia Society, observed that Trump’s preoccupation with the Iran conflict could complicate preparations for a successful summit. “Trump is preoccupied with a war in Iran that has not been resolved as quickly as predicted, so he is keen to ensure that the military and economic fallout from that is contained within the next couple of weeks or so … which means planning a successful visit to Beijing is next to impossible,” he said.
He added that concerns in Beijing about limited preparatory engagement from the US side could make an additional window useful. “From China’s perspective, there’s been a lot of concern in Beijing about the lack of preparations from the American side for the summit so Chinese policymakers wouldn’t mind an extra few weeks to prepare for a more substantive visit,” Thomas said.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian echoed the importance of high-level engagement, stating that “diplomacy between heads of state plays an irreplaceable role in providing strategic guidance to China-US relations.” He added that communication on the timing of the visit remains ongoing.F
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