Trump said this week that “China is fine with” delaying the meeting that, according to the White House, had previously been scheduled for March 31 to April 2. China had been closely monitoring the situation around Iran before the conflict and did not expect the US to launch the attack ahead of the planned Xi-Trump summit in March, the sources said. “A lot of countries around the world are now rating China as a more reliable partner than the US. Preparations for the summit were considered “insufficient,” and its delay has likely caused some relief, according to Wu with Fudan University. The Iran war could add a huge element of uncertainty to the US-China relationship.

Source: Egypt Independent March 22, 2026 14:27 UTC