ISTANBUL

Beijing and Washington are in communication over a planned summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, China’s Foreign Ministry said Monday.

“The two sides are in communication over President Trump’s visit to China,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a news conference.

Beijing's statement came after Trump told UK-based daily Financial Times that he could delay a summit with Xi scheduled between March 31 and April 2, as he urged China to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway.

Trump’s remarks came a day after he appealed to China, France, Japan, South Korea and the UK to join what he called a “team effort” to secure the chokepoint, which Iran has effectively closed after the US and Israel initiated mass air strikes on Iran since late February.

He also urged China to act before the summit in Beijing, noting that the country sources about 90% of its oil through the strait.

“We’d like to know before that,” Trump said.

However, spokesman Lin stressed that the head-of-state diplomacy "plays an irreplaceable strategic leading role in China-US relations."

The US and Chinese negotiators on Sunday began their sixth round of economic and trade consultations in the French capital Paris, as tensions in the Middle East disrupted global energy supplies.

Previous rounds of talks were held in Geneva, London, Stockholm, Madrid and Kuala Lumpur, helping reduce tariffs that had previously climbed to triple-digit levels.

Tensions in the Middle East have escalated since the United States and Israel launched a large-scale attack on Iran on Feb. 28, killing more than 1,300 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, over 150 schoolgirls, and senior military officials.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting US military assets.

Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz since early March, pushing oil prices higher. The key shipping lane handles about 20 million barrels of oil a day and roughly 20% of the global liquefied natural gas trade.