(LEAD) Trump says U.S. requested summit with Xi be delayed 'a month or so'

▲ U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during an event to sign an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington on March 16, 2026, in this photo released by Reuters. (Yonhap)

(LEAD) Trump-China visit

(LEAD) Trump says U.S. requested summit with Xi be delayed 'a month or so'

(ATTN: UPDATES throughout)

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, March 16 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday the United States has requested that a planned summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping be delayed for "a month or so," as the U.S. conducts its military campaign against Iran.

Trump had reportedly planned to visit China for the high-stakes summit from March 31 to April 2, but questions arose over whether the commander-in-chief should leave the country in the midst of intense military operations against the Islamic Republic.

"I'd love to, but because of the war, I want to be here. I have to be here. So we've requested that we delay it a month or so," Trump said during a press availability at the White House.

"I'm looking forward to being with them. We have a very good relationship, but because of the war."

In a brief interview with the Financial Times on Sunday, Trump threatened to delay the summit, calling on Beijing to help stop Iran's attempt to block the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil shipping route which is responsible for about a fifth of the world's oil supply.

Trump has also urged South Korea, Japan and other countries that rely on the strait for energy imports, to provide naval support to help keep the waterway open.

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