BEIJING: Beijing said on Monday it is in talks with Washington over a visit by US President Donald Trump expected this month. Trump has suggested Washington may delay the planned summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping if Beijing does not assist in reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has effectively closed the waterway, critical to oil transportation, in retaliation for the US and Israeli war against Tehran. &#39;Maintaining communication&#39; Beijing&#39;s foreign ministry said on Monday that Beijing and Washington &quot;are maintaining communication regarding President Trump&#39;s visit to China&quot;. &quot;Head-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role in China-US relations,&quot; spokesman Lin Jian told a press conference. He did not address Trump&#39;s recent pressure on NATO allies and China to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The &quot;tense situation&quot; in the strait has &quot;disrupted international trade routes for goods and energy&quot;, Lin said when asked about Trump&#39;s comments. Global oil prices&nbsp; Global oil prices have surged by 40 to 50% since the war began, with the waterway choked off and Iran&#39;s attacks on energy and shipping industry targets in its Gulf neighbors. China is a net importer of oil and one of several major Asian economies that depend on the strait for energy. The Middle East was the source of 57% of China&#39;s direct seaborne crude imports in 2025, according to analytics firm Kpler. Washington has said Trump will visit China from March 31 to April 2, although Beijing has yet to confirm those dates in line with its usual practice.

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Trump has suggested Washington may delay the planned summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping if Beijing does not assist in reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

China says 'maintaining communication' with US over Trump visit

BEIJING:&nbsp;Officials from China and the United States met for trade talks in Paris on Sunday, China&#39;s state news agency Xinhua said. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was due to meet Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng to hash out trade issues between the world&#39;s two largest economies, less than three weeks before President Donald Trump is expected to make an official visit to China to meet his counterpart Xi Jinping. China&#39;s state broadcaster CCTV said the talks were being held at the OECD headquarters in Paris. The diplomatic engagements come at a tumultuous time for the global economy, as energy markets are sent spinning from the impact of the US-Israeli war with Iran. Beijing is a close partner of Tehran and has condemned the killing of Iran&#39;s former supreme leader, but it has also criticized Iranian strikes against Gulf states. Trade war&nbsp;China and the United States fought a bruising trade war for much of 2025, with reciprocal tariffs reaching triple digits at one point and export restrictions threatening to wreck global supply chains for critical minerals. Tensions cooled after Trump met Xi in Busan, South Korea, in October, but new US probes into Chinese industrial overcapacity and forced labor announced on Wednesday threaten more instability. China&#39;s commerce ministry said in a statement on Friday that officials in Paris would &quot;conduct consultations on economic and trade issues of mutual concern&quot;, without giving further details about the content of the talks. Bessent, who was to be accompanied by US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, said in a statement on Thursday that &quot;economic dialogue&quot; between the countries &quot;is moving forward&quot;. The Paris gathering, which is due to last two days, is seen as setting the stage for Trump&#39;s expected visit to China later this month. Washington has said Trump will visit China from March 31 to April 2, although Beijing has yet to confirm those dates in line with its usual practice.

Washington has said Trump will visit China from March 31 to April 2, although Beijing has yet to confirm those dates; 

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China says 'maintaining communication' with US over Trump visit

Chinese, US delegations meet for trade talks in Paris: State media