\u201cI\u2019d love to but because of the war, I want to be here,\u201d Trump<\/a> said, adding the White House had requested Beijing \u201cdelay\u201d the visit by \u201ca month or so\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very simple. I have got a war going on,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s push to delay the summit comes as the White House deals with the dramatic fallout from the ongoing conflict in the Gulf, including the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. <\/p>\n The closure of the strait, through which 20 per cent of the world\u2019s oil passes, has had a major impact on the price of crude, sending the cost of petrol soaring in the US just months before critical midterm elections. <\/p>\n Trump on Monday said the market turmoil was a \u201cvery small price to pay\u201d for preventing Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. But despite repeating that the conflict would be a \u201cbrief excursion\u201d, the president told reporters he did not think it would end this week.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019ll be soon. It won\u2019t be long, and we\u2019re going to have a much safer world,\u201d Trump said when asked when the war would draw to a close. \u201cIt\u2019ll be wrapped up soon.\u201d<\/p>\n Beijing had been expecting the visit to go ahead until Trump on Sunday told the FT<\/a> that he was considering delaying his first trip to China since 2017.<\/p>\n He suggested in the interview that he wanted China to decide whether it would send warships to the strait ahead of the start of his visit to Beijing, planned for March 31.<\/p>\n Recommended<\/p>\n
![\"Vladimir](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/https:\/\/images.ft.com\/v3\/image\/raw\/https%3A%2F%2Fd1e00ek4ebabms.cloudfront.net%2Fproduction%2F0446a5.jpeg\")
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