WASHINGTON (TNND) — President Donald Trump plans to travel to China in mid-May for a “long-awaited” summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced on Wednesday.
Trump later shared the news on Truth Social.
“My meeting with the highly-respected President of China, President Xi Jinping, which was originally postponed due to our military operation in Iran, has been rescheduled, and will take place in Beijing on May 14th and 15h,” Trump wrote.
Trump added that he and First Lady Melania Trump will also host Xi and Madame Peng for a reciprocal visit in Washington, D.C., at some point later this year.
“Our representatives are finalizing preparations for these historic visits,” he noted. “I look very much forward to spending time with President Xi in what will be, I am sure, a monumental event.”
BUSAN, SOUTH KOREA – OCTOBER 30: U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands as they depart following a bilateral meeting at Gimhae Air Base on October 30, 2025 in Busan, South Korea. Trump is meeting Xi for the first time since taking office for his second term, following months of growing tension between both countries. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
The visit had originally been planned for the end of March, but was delayed as Trump stayed in in the U.S. amid the ongoing conflict involving Iran, which started on February 28.
Leavitt, when asked during a news conference if the new dates for Trump’s trip suggest he believes the Iran war will end soon, offered an optimistic tone that it might reach an endgame before he travels.
“We’ve always estimated four to six weeks,” Leavitt said. “So, you could do the math on that.”
Leavitt said the U.S. continues to “decimate” Iran, as more than 9,000 enemy targets have been hit since Operation Epic Fury commenced. She said while Iran’s missile and drone attacks are down by about 90%, the nation’s Navy has been annihilated.
“This is the largest elimination of a Navy over a three-week period since World War II,” she said, adding that the U.S is “very close to meeting the core objectives” of the mission and is ahead of schedule.
Leavitt also said while Trump’s preference is always peace, saying there doesn’t need to be any more “death and destruction,” he is ready to “unleash hell” if Iran “fails to accept the reality of the current moment — if they fail to understand that they have been defeated and will continue to be.”
Trump has been pressuring Beijing and other world powers to use their military might to protect the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway in Iran for the flow of oil. The strait has been effectively closed as Iran targets energy infrastructure and traffic through it.
“We’re working with China — they were fine with it,” Trump said last week during an unrelated event.
Trump’s trip to China is expected to focus on U.S.-China relations, trade, and broader global security concerns.
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EDITOR’S NOTE: The Associated Press contributed to this report.
