Trump insists China trip will go on as planned

United States President Donald Trump said he is still planning to travel to China as scheduled this month despite the stalemate in the negotiations with Iran.



When asked about the trip to Beijing, Trump told reporters on Friday “It is going to be amazing. The visit with China and Chairman Xi [Jinping] – that’s going to be great.



“We have the trip with China coming up. And I think it will be an amazing event.”



Trump had initially planned to visit Beijing in late March, but put the trip back to May 14 and 15 after starting the war against Iran.



Chinese analysts said the trip would be crucial for the two countries to manage risks in the face of rising uncertainty worldwide.



Shen Dingli, a Shanghai-based professor of international affairs, said Trump’s visit to Beijing was mainly about risk management.



“Washington wants to avoid complete decoupling from strategic supply chains – such as rare earths – for now, and also wants China not to arm Iran.



For China, the focus is on the Taiwan issue,” Shen said.



Ma Bo, an associate professor at the school of international studies at Nanjing University, said that the primary consideration for Trump was to stabilise relations with China.



“With no clear off-ramp from the Russia-Ukraine conflict or the war in Iran, Washington cannot afford to open new fronts of instability in the Taiwan Strait or South China Sea,” Ma said.