Trump requests delay of China trip because of Iran war

Washington — President Trump said Monday that he’s requested to delay his trip to China because of the war with Iran, now in its third week. 

He said during an Oval Office event that he “was speaking to China” and indicated he’d “love to” go, “but because of the war, I want to be here. I have to be here, I feel.”

“We’ve requested that we delay it a month or so. And I’m looking forward to being with him,” Mr. Trump said of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The president, who was expected to visit China at the end of the month, has urged Beijing and other countries to help the U.S. reopen the Strait of Hormuz to tryin to bring down oil prices that have surged since the Iran war began.

In an interview Sunday with the Financial Times, Mr. Trump said that China’s reliance on oil from the Middle East means it should help with a new coalition he’s trying to assemble to restart oil tanker traffic through the strait after Iran’s threats have throttled global flows of oil. 

Relations with China have been fraught as both sides have threatened the other with steep tariffs over the past year.

Earlier Monday, Lin Jian, a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry, said during a news conference Monday that China and the U.S. “are maintaining communication regarding President Trump’s visit to China,” but he didn’t address Mr. Trump’s pressure on NATO allies and China to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, according to French news agency AFP.