Trump confirms delay of Beijing meeting with Xi amid Iran conflict

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said his planned trip to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing will be delayed by “five or six weeks,” as the US-Israel war against Iran continues.

“We’re working with China. They were fine with it … I look forward to seeing President Xi. He looks forward to seeing me, I think,” Trump told reporters at the White House.

The Chinese embassy in Washington did not confirm Trump’s timeline and said “China and the US remain in communication on President Trump’s visit to China, including the dates”.

The Beijing trip had been scheduled for March 31 to April 2, according to a White House announcement in February. The trip to meet Trump’s Chinese counterpart will mark his first visit to China of his second term.

Trump was speaking in the Oval Office on Tuesday after a bilateral meeting with Irish leader Micheal Martin to mark St Patrick’s Day.

Describing China as “economically for us, very good, very good”, Trump added that “it’s much different than it was in the past, and we have a very good working relationship with China, so we’re making it in about five or six weeks”.