President Trump plans to delay his visit to Beijing by five or six weeks to focus on the war in Iran.
BEIJING -- The U.S. can't seem to focus on China.
For years, American presidents from both political parties have pledged to concentrate their energies on competing with Beijing and managing the often fraught relationship between the world's two largest economies. Time and again, conflicts elsewhere have distracted them.
For Beijing, statements by Trump this week that he wants to push back a planned visit to China bring frustration and relief. The trip remains a priority for China's government because it could help secure a new trade deal, benefiting China's struggling economy.
At the same time, postponing the visit while the war in Iran rages would save leader Xi Jinping from the awkward optics of rolling out the red carpet for a U.S. president who is bombing one of China's closest friends in the Middle East.
Trump had been expected to travel to Beijing from March 31 to April 2. The president told reporters on Tuesday that he aimed to delay his visit by five or six weeks as he focuses on the Iran war, and that China was "fine" with the postponement.
"I look forward to seeing President Xi. He looks forward to seeing me, I think," Trump said.
China's Foreign Ministry didn't immediately respond to a request for comment, but a spokesman said earlier that the two countries remained in contact over Trump's visit.
Despite Trump's wielding of tariffs since his return to the White House last year, China has held out hope for better ties with the U.S. The president has lavished personal praise on Xi, while Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has spoken positively of more high-level discussions between the countries, including after the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran on Feb. 28.
"It is heartening to see that the presidents of the two countries have led by example," Wang said at a press conference earlier this month, referring to Trump and Xi. Wang called 2026 a potential "landmark" year for U.S.-China relations.
Trump's desire to push back the planned summit comes as aerial bombardments in the region have shown no sign of easing and as U.S. allies rebuff efforts by the administration to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Tehran's threat to attack ships trying to pass through the strait without its approval has sent oil prices soaring since the war began. China is the world's biggest oil importer, so higher energy prices would hurt Beijing's economy over the long run, though the country has built up sizable oil stockpiles that help provide a buffer against near-term price hikes.
The war in Iran provides the latest example of how difficult it is for successive U.S. administrations to turn their focus to China. Wars over the last quarter century -- from Afghanistan to Ukraine -- have eaten away at the bandwidth and military resources that U.S. officials can devote to the Asia-Pacific.
And even as Trump has signaled he wants a relatively quick end to the current fighting, Iran is likely to remain a flashpoint for the foreseeable future, especially if the U.S. military is forced to play a role in securing oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump's desire to postpone the summit with Xi "underscores how significantly he underestimated the fallout" of attacks against Iran, said Ali Wyne, a senior research and advocacy adviser for U.S.-China relations at the International Crisis Group.
Trump's foreign policy isn't the same as his predecessors', placing greater emphasis on the Western Hemisphere. Even so, like in past administrations, China features prominently in Trump's national-security strategy, with a special focus on rebalancing trade.
The administration has said the attacks against Iran were necessary to defend against the potential threats it posed, though how imminent a risk Tehran presented has come under scrutiny from lawmakers and experts. The Wall Street Journal has previously reported that part of Trump's rationale was a belief that the U.S. could deliver swift and decisive victory.
The conflict with Iran has already drawn U.S. warships and aircraft from around the world that would likely be required in any conflict with China. It has also eaten into U.S. stockpiles of munitions. Defense strategists now working in the Trump administration are among those who have previously warned that an overstretched U.S. military makes it susceptible to China, whose well-stocked arsenal of missiles and large naval fleet make it a far more formidable opponent than Iran is today.
China officially opposes the U.S. attacks on Iran. Even so, political analysts don't expect a new round of escalating U.S.-China tensions from delaying Trump's visit to Beijing.
"If Trump insists on a delay, China has to accept it," said Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at Renmin University in Beijing.
Meanwhile, unlike when the Biden administration scrapped a planned visit to China by then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken after the U.S. military shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon in 2023, this time the reasons for pushing back the trip would have little to do with the U.S.-China relationship itself.
"Beijing knows deep down that this isn't about China at all," said Jeremy Chan of the political-risk consulting firm Eurasia Group. "He can't be seen hobnobbing with Xi while Hormuz burns."
Since the war began, the U.S. and China have each signaled that they believe it remains in their interests to continue trade negotiations. Working-level ties offer some of the clearest signs that the countries continue to push toward a Trump-Xi summit even as the Iran war rages on. Following U.S.-China trade talks in Paris that wrapped up Monday, representatives for both countries described the latest round of negotiations as constructive.