March 16, 2026

President Trump has threatened to postpone a long-planned summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping as he called on China to send warships to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, casting a new shadow over the relationship between the world’s two biggest economies.

Mr. Trump told the Financial Times on Sunday that he “may delay” the meeting, which is expected to start on March 31 in Beijing, if China does not answer his demand to help reopen the strait to shipping in the next two weeks.

President Trump has threatened to postpone a planned summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping if China does not assist in reopening the Strait of Hormuz by sending warships, escalating tensions between the two economic superpowers; with the meeting set for March 31 in Beijing, Trump insists on an answer before then, expressing impatience with the delay, while China, the largest Iranian oil buyer, has so far responded cautiously and urged for a halt to hostilities rather than directly addressing Trump’s demands.

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