“We can see this as more of a pause than an overall success. This looks like ‘unfinished business’ between both sides,” said James Downes, director of the Europe-Asia program at the Center for Scientific Interpretation and Prediction Research, a US-based nonprofit.
“I would expect another round before Trump’s visit is delayed. Neither side wants tension to overshadow this important event.”
The war in Iran may have made negotiations difficult, Downes said, as Beijing is likely to get confused and confuse Washington’s trade demands with other terms.
Chinese policymakers did not want to be dragged into Washington’s increasingly unpredictable security agenda, he said, adding that both sides were now adjusting and the pace had slowed.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, head of the US mission in Paris, repeatedly said the postponement of the meeting between Trump and President Xi Jinping was not related to China’s position on Iran.
