Trump’s delay of Xi visit echoes pattern of last-minute changes

Mr Trump has enjoyed keeping allies and adversaries guessing about his travel plans. Read more at straitstimes.com.

US President Donald Trump has long used last-minute switches on foreign travel and meetings with heads of state as yet another leverage tool as he seeks a diplomatic upper hand and keep foreign partners on their toes. 

Mr Trump’s request this week to delay a planned trip to China initially set for March 31 to April 2 is the latest example in a pattern of postponing or calling off high-profile meetings that he decides does not suit his interests. 

Throughout his first and second terms, he has enjoyed keeping allies and adversaries guessing about his travel plans. A few times, he has changed his mind about his schedule in real time, often in an effort to display power, send a message to foreign capitals or to avoid embarrassment. 

During his first term, Mr Trump cancelled a visit to Denmark when that country said Greenland was not for sale, cancelled a meeting with Mr Vladimir Putin when the Russian president was already on the way and fuelled will-they-won’t-they speculation before a get-together with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. 

The list keeps going. 

This time around Mr Trump initially floated a delay to a highly anticipated China summit during a weekend interview. He made the comment as he called on China and other countries to help him counter Iran’s blockage of the Strait of Hormuz since the war with the Islamic Republic began on Feb 28.