US President Donald Trump is keen to visit China but a September visit is not happening, according to sources, who said Beijing and Washington were working to secure a trip in October or November.
Hurdles remain, but high-level officials “share a consensus”, sources familiar with the matter told the South China Morning Post.
Media reports earlier said that China planned to invite Trump to the Victory Parade in Beijing on September 3 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
With September now off the table, Trump might visit China before heading to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in South Korea, or he could meet Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the event between October 30 and November 1, according to sources.
Sources also described the Kuala Lumpur meeting between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his US counterpart Marco Rubio earlier this month as “better than expected”. It was the first in-person engagement between the respective top diplomats – an essential step before any leader-level summit can occur – and both sides praised the meeting as “positive”.
Another person familiar with the discussions said there was a possibility of a meeting later this year, with two options under consideration: Trump could either visit China for bilateral talks before heading to the Apec summit, or attend Apec first and then travel to Beijing.
