President Donald Trump suggested his planned trip to China on Mar. 31 could be delayed as the current conflict in Iran intensifies, with the U.S. urging Beijing to help secure the Strait of Hormuz.
In an interview with the Financial Times (FT) over the weekend, President Trump said he expected China to help unblock the chokepoint before his trip to Beijing for a summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The summit is scheduled for Mar. 31 to Apr. 2.
“We may delay,” the president suggested during the interview, noting that the two weeks before the meeting were a “long time” and that the U.S. requires clarity before then.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent spoke with CNBC on Monday, reassuring that any delay to President Trump’s trip would not be due to disagreements over the war in Iran or measures to secure the Strait.
“If the meetings are delayed, it wouldn’t be delayed because the president demanded that China police the Strait of Hormuz,” Bessent said during the interview. “If the meeting, for some reason, is rescheduled, it would be rescheduled because of logistics.”
“The president wants to remain in D.C. to coordinate the war, and traveling abroad at a time like this may not be optimal,” Secretary he concluded.
The Summit in China would be the first for a U.S. president to visit Beijing since President Trump’s previous trip during his first term in 2017.
President Trump Urges China to Secure Strait of Hormuz
Despite Secretary Bessent’s claims, President Trump commented on China’s role in securing the maritime chokepoint, asserting that the strait is far more significant for Beijing than for the U.S.
“Why are we maintaining the Hormuz Strait when it’s really there for China and many other countries? Why aren’t they doing it?” President Trump questioned aboard Air Force One when speaking to reporters.
CNBC reported that, according to Rush Doshi, director of the China Strategy Initiative at the Council on Foreign Relations, “Seaborne oil imports through the strait now account for less than half of China’s total oil shipments,” with estimates of oil flow through Hormuz representing only 6.6% of Beijing’s total energy consumption.
