The meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping may be postponed
Donald Trump stated in an interview with the Financial Times that the meeting with Xi Jinping, scheduled for the end of the month, may be postponed. White House spokeswoman Caroline Levitt described it as a summit-level meeting and noted that the dates may change.
According to her, the US president’s priority at present is coordinating Operation ‘Epic Rage’. The White House has promised to provide updated information on the timing later.
It is currently unknown for how long the meeting may be postponed. Donald Trump had planned a trip to China later this month against the backdrop of economic and trade negotiations between the countries.
Earlier, the US president called on China, France, Japan, South Korea and the UK to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which is under blockade by Iran amid the US and Israel’s war against that country. Due to the situation, oil prices have risen sharply.
Speaking to the Financial Times, Trump stated that countries benefiting from the strait should contribute to its security, noting that China receives 90 per cent of its oil via this route.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who is in Paris for talks with a Chinese delegation, noted that the possible postponement of the meeting is not linked to US demands regarding control of the strait. According to him, it is a matter of the logistics of the trip.
Bassent explained that the US President wishes to remain in Washington to coordinate military operations and considers overseas travel during this period to be inadvisable.
He also noted that an increasing number of tankers are passing through the strait, although some vessels have come under attack. According to the minister, despite oil prices rising to $100 a barrel, he expects them to fall below $80 within a few months.
