Xi Jinping, (L) and Donald Trump agreed there should be some flexibility on the timing of the US president's visit to China. They agreed that there should be some flexibility on the timing but that the visit should go ahead. What matters most diplomatically to Beijing is the public affirmation that both Trump and Xi still want the visit to go ahead, and the delay might even be welcome. The trip had already been scaled back so that Trump would only spend one full day in China and would not travel beyond Beijing. This reflects the improvement in relations between Xi and Trump since they met in South Korea last October and agreed a year-long truce in their trade dispute.

Source: The Irish Times March 17, 2026 18:49 UTC