Trump-Xi summit now set for mid-May, but White House coy about whether Iran war over by then
The White House on Wednesday announced that President Donald Trump's postponed summit with China's President Xi Jinping would now take place in Beijing in mid-May, but avoided directly answering whether that meant the war with Iran would be over by then, now six weeks away.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at her press briefing that Trump will be in China on May 14 and 15.
When asked by a reporter whether the war would be concluded by that time, she responded, "we've always estimated approximately four to six weeks. So, you could do the math on that."
The U.S. strikes on Iran began Feb. 28 -- nearly a month ago.
Trump had been originally scheduled to visit China to meet with Xi next week, but White House aides said the ongoing war in Iran postponed that highly anticipated talk.
Asked whether an end to the war was as a precondition to holding the meeting, Leavitt answered, "No. There was a discussion about the rescheduling of the meeting between the President and President XI. President XI understood that it's very important for the president to be here throughout these combat operations right now. He understood, obviously, the request to postpone and accepted it, which is why we have new dates on the books."
The trip comes as relations between the U.S. and China continue to sour over Trump's economic policies including his tariffs which harshly punished Chinese manufacturers.
There has been no comment or announcement from the Chinese government about the new dates. Trump last met Xi face to face in October when the two leaders talked at an air base in Busan, South Korea.
"I know the president looks forward to going to China on May 14 and 15th," she added.
