US President Donald Trump will visit China for a state visit with Chinese President Xi Jinping on May 14 and 15, and Xi will visit Washington for a reciprocal visit at a later date, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Wednesday.

The visit had originally been slated for next week, but it was delayed amid the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran.

"I'm pleased to announce that President Trump's meeting and long-awaited meeting with President Xi in China will now take place in Beijing on May 14th and 15th," Leavitt said at a press briefing.

"First Lady Melania and President Trump will also host President Xi and Madame Peng for a reciprocal visit in Washington, DC, at a later date to be announced this year."

The China trip had been planned for months but began to unravel as Trump pressured Beijing and other world powers to use their military might to protect the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for the flow of oil.

Trump said last week while meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin in the Oval Office that he would be going to China in five or six weeks' time instead of at the end of the month. He said he would be "resetting" his visit with Xi.

"We're working with China - they were fine with it," Trump said. "I look forward to seeing President Xi. He looks forward to seeing me, I think."

Trump's last trip to China, in 2017, was the most recent by a U.S. president. Trump's visit will be the leaders' first in-person talks since an October meeting in South Korea, where they agreed on a trade truce.