ISTANBUL

China said Wednesday it is in communication with US officials over a planned visit by President Donald Trump.

“Head-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable role in providing strategic guidance for China-US relations,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters in Beijing.

Lin said the two sides "will remain in communication regarding President Trump’s visit to China,” without providing any further details.

Trump said Tuesday he is “resetting” the trip and expects it to take place “in about five weeks.”

“We’re working with China,” he told reporters at the White House, adding that he looks forward to meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. “He looks forward to seeing me, I think,” Trump said, describing bilateral relations as “very good” economically.

Earlier, speaking about his China trip, Trump had said: “I'd love to, but because of the war, I want to be here. I have to be here, I feel.”

The White House had previously said Trump would travel to China for a three-day visit starting on March 31.

The delay in the scheduled trip comes amid the ongoing armed conflict in the Middle East.

The tensions in the region have escalated since the US and Israel launched a joint offensive on Iran on Feb. 28, killing around 1,300 people so far, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, along with Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries, which it says are targeting US military assets, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting global markets and aviation.

Tehran has also effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz since March 1, forcing Trump to urge US allies, as well as China, to help reopen the strategic waterway.