Trump summit will be only US stop for Xi, says Secret Service source

President Xi Jinping will limit his US visit next month to Palm Beach, Florida, and local US media are reporting that he won’t stay at Mar-a-Lago, US President Donald Trump’s exclusive Palm Beach residence.

A US Secret Service spokesperson, who asked not to be identified, confirmed that Xi and his delegation would be in Palm Beach on April 6 and 7 for meetings with Trump, and that the ­Chinese president had no other US stops planned.

The spokesperson declined to confirm reports from CNBC and the Palm Beach Post that Xi would stay at Eau Palm Beach Resort and Spa during his stay.

The White House has not formally announced Xi’s visit, but a senior state department official said on Tuesday that the two leaders would meet in the first full week in April. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had planned to skip a meeting of Nato foreign ministers scheduled for April 5 and 6 to attend the summit.

Xi’s trip to Florida may follow a visit to Finland. The Finnish president’s office said on Wednesday night that Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, would make a state visit to the country on April 5. Xi will meet his counterpart Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Juha Sipila in ­Helsinki to discuss economic and diplomatic matters.

Observers of the planned Xi-Trump summit said the fact that the governments involved had kept quiet about the much anticipated meeting was a departure from diplomatic norms.