US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he is planning to delay a high stakes visit to China later in March by about a month because of the Iran war. We've requested that we delay it a month or so, he told reporters at the White House, adding that it was important that he remained available to oversee the war. The meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping is currently set to take place between March 31 and April 2, following their last face-to-face talks in October last year. Chinese foreign affairs spokesman Lin Jian said on Tuesday that Beijing and Washington are in talks over the timing and related matters of President Trump's visit to China. China also rejected any connection between the delayed meeting and issues around the Strait of Hormuz - a critical waterway for global energy shipments from the Gulf. On Sunday, Trump told the Financial Times he might postpone the meeting if China did not help unblock the Strait of Hormuz. But on Monday, he said he had proposed the delay solely to make sure he was around to manage the war. I'm looking forward to being with him, he said, referring to Xi. We have a very good relationship. Trump's remarks come as frictions between the world's two largest economies have grown, fueled by the Iran war.