By Trevor Hunnicutt and Nandita Bose
WASHINGTON, March 16 (Reuters) - Donald Trump's highly anticipated meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping could be postponed as the U.S. president remains focused on the Iran war, the White House said on Monday.
Any delay in Trump's scheduled March 31 to April 2 China trip risks magnifying tensions between Washington and Beijing, as the Iran crisis has joined trade and Taiwan among the spectrum of issues separating the world's two biggest economies.
Iran has responded
to joint U.S.-Israeli attacks on that nation by threatening to fire on vessels moving through the key Strait of Hormuz, where one-fifth of the world's oil transits on a daily basis. Iran's own ships - including those bound for China - are continuing to use the strait, though overall exports from the Middle East have dropped more than 60% since the war started.
"The president looks forward to visiting China," spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters. "The dates may be moved. As commander-in-chief, it's his number one priority right now to ensure the continued success of this operation, Epic Fury. So we'll keep you posted on the dates as soon as we can."
Earlier, on Fox News' "Fox & Friends" program, Leavitt said, "I don't think the meeting is in jeopardy, but it's quite possible the meeting could be delayed."
TRAVELING ABROAD 'MAY NOT BE OPTIMAL' AMID WAR
Trump told the Financial Times on Sunday he might postpone the meeting if China did not help to unblock the Strait of Hormuz.
The Republican president has called on other nations to send warships to restore the Strait of Hormuz shipping lanes as Iranian forces continue their retaliation campaign following U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, a request that so far has largely been rebuffed.
China, the world's top oil importer, has not directly responded to Trump's request.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday that Trump may need to delay the trip due to coordinating the war effort - not because of the request that China help police the strait or because of any trade disagreements.
"The President wants to remain in DC to coordinate the war effort," Bessent said. "Traveling abroad at a time like this may not be optimal."
The Chinese foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Beijing has not specified dates for Trump's visit and normally does not detail Xi's schedule far in advance.
China imports roughly 11 million barrels of crude daily. Most of Iran's oil exports go to China, according to U.S. Energy Department data.
PREPARATIONS FOR THE TRUMP-XI MEETING MOVE AHEAD
Preparations for the meeting are ongoing. The White House continued to make logistical arrangements for the trip on Monday, while Bessent was in Paris for talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng aimed at teeing up trade and other agreements for Trump and Xi in Beijing.
In those talks, which began on Sunday, the Chinese showed openness to potential additional purchases of U.S. agricultural goods including poultry, beef and non-soybean row crops, one source said before the second day of meetings. They also discussed the flow of rare earth minerals largely controlled by China and new approaches to manage trade and investment between the countries.
Spokespersons for the U.S. Treasury and the U.S. Trade Representative's office declined to characterize the talks.
"Head of state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable role in providing strategic guidance to China-U.S. relations," said Lin Jian, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, when asked about Trump's remarks during a regular press conference. Both sides are communicating about the trip, Lin added.
(Reporting by Katharine Jackson, Nandita Bose, Susan Heavey, David Lawder and Trevor Hunnicutt, editing by David Ljunggren)
