Trump's China trip thrown into doubt by Iran war, but Beijing doesn't seem to mind waiting

The timing of a highly anticipated summit between President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping is in doubt after Trump asked to delay it by “a month or so” so he can focus on the widening war with Iran.

BEIJING — The timing of a highly anticipated summit between President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping is in doubt after Trump asked to delay it by “a month or so” so he can focus on the widening war with Iran.

It’s the latest complication from the U.S.-Israeli attack on Tehran, which has close ties with Beijing, as the conflict adds another possible point of tension between America and China.

The summit was meant to focus on trade, as both Trump and Xi seek to extend a delicate tariff truce between the world’s two biggest economies. But China showed little immediate sign that it was bothered by the likely delay, which analysts told NBC News may actually prove beneficial to efforts to further stabilize relations.

President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Busan, South Korea, in October.Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP via Getty Images fileThe White House had said Trump would be traveling from March 31 to April 2, although China had not yet confirmed the dates.

Then Trump said Monday that his trip could be postponed because of the war, telling reporters in Washington, “I think it’s important that I be here.”