US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that China’s Xi Jinping is “very happy” after Iran decided to open the Strait of Hormuz, adding that he is looking forward to his meeting with his Chinese counterpart. Trump, a two-time US president, also said “much will be accomplished” when the two world leaders meet next month in Beijing.
“President Xi is very happy that the Strait of Hormuz is open and/or rapidly opening,” the 79-year-old American leader posted on his Truth Social account. “Our meeting in China will be a special one and, potentially, Historic. I look forward to being with President Xi — Much will be accomplished!”
Trump’s visit to China in May where he will meet Jinping has caught the world’s attention. This would be the first time in 10 years when a sitting US president visits China. As per White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, Trump will visit China on May 14 and 15; though the Chinese side has not confirmed the dates.
Trump, who will also host Jinping later this year, was originally scheduled to visit China in March but it was postponed due to the US-Israel-Iran war in the Middle East. Nevertheless, the visit will give the two nations a chance to ease the tensions between and improve their ties that have been hit by the trade frictions.
As per Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian, Washington and Beijing are constantly in touch over Trump’s visit, pointing out that the “leader-level diplomacy” will play a crucial role in guiding the “irreplaceable strategic” ties.
Additionally, Chinese state media has claimed that officials from both sides are being encouraged to interact with each other as lack of people-to-people exchanges between the US and China remained low for years, which is the “root cause” of the current situation among them and “should not be the case”.
“History has repeatedly shown that both China and the US stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation,” the Global Times said in an editorial. “China’s policy toward the US has remained consistent, stable, and predictable, emphasizing mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation, and serving as a steady and reliable force for improving bilateral relations.”
