U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday he is not worried that Chinese President Xi Jinping will cancel a highly anticipated visit later this month, as the two leaders prepare to meet in Washington.
"No, I'm not worried about that," Trump told reporters at the Irish Open in Doonbeg. "We have a great relationship. He wants to get along, and we want it."
His comments followed a report that China had warned the US it would scrap Xi's visit if Washington approved new arms sales to Taiwan. Trump has said he is weighing a US$14 billion arms deal with Taiwan, a major point of contention with Beijing.
The leaders of the world's two largest economies are slated to meet face-to-face in Washington later this month to manage tensions over Taiwan as well as trade, artificial intelligence and the Middle East.
Ties between the countries have faced fresh strains over the Iran war, with China remaining the main buyer of Iranian oil and resisting Trump's calls to cut economic ties with Tehran. A trade truce between the two nations is set to expire on November 10.
