Space News from SpaceDaily.com
China says takes note of US 'clarifications' on possible Trump visit delay
ADVERTISEMENT


Beijing, March 17 (AFP) Mar 17, 2026
China said on Tuesday it had "noted" clarifications from the United States about the reasons for a possible delay to a planned visit to Beijing by President Donald Trump.

Trump had planned to visit at the end of March, according to the White House, but said on Monday he had asked China to delay his summit with Xi Jinping by around a month while he deals with the war in the Middle East.

"We have noted that the US side has publicly clarified these false reports by the media, stating that the relevant reports are completely wrong, and emphasised that the visit has nothing to do with the issue of the open navigation of the Strait of Hormuz," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said during a news briefing Tuesday.

"Both China and the US are maintaining communications on Trump's visit to China," he said, without providing further details.

Trump suggested on Sunday his visit could depend on how China responds to his request for it and other countries to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the vital maritime passage that has been effectively closed by Iran in retaliation for US and Israeli strikes.

However, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent rowed back that assertion on Monday, saying that linking the meeting to Trump's demand for China to help reopen the waterway was a "false narrative".

About a fifth of global oil supplies normally pass through the Strait of Hormuz, and its closure has sent oil prices soaring above $100 a barrel.

Washington has said Trump would visit China from March 31 to April 2 to reset ties and extend a US-China trade truce, although Beijing has not confirmed those dates in line with its usual practice.


ADVERTISEMENT





Space News from SpaceDaily.com
Course Correction or Controlled Crash? Inside NASA's Artemis Overhaul - Part 1
Hostage to the Moon - How Artemis Became Industrial Welfare in a Space Suit - Part 2
Apollo Cosplay on a 21st-Century Clock - Why Artemis Keeps Slipping Toward 2029 - Part 3

24/7 Energy News Coverage
AALTO plans Zephyr stratospheric hub in northern Australia and seeks local payload partners
Ancient guano drove Chincha coastal power
UAH lands first DARPA award for biological sciences department

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
Sidekick autonomy software guides YFQ-42A test mission for CCA program
Infleqtion lists shares on NYSE as neutral atom quantum firm
Top Chinese gaming companies continue to challenge

24/7 News Coverage
Solar-driven ionosphere charges may nudge stressed faults toward rupture
Stable black carbon in mangrove soils boosts coastal climate role
Low crystallinity iron minerals show promise for chromium cleanup and carbon storage



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.