Initially delayed by the war with Iran, President Trump leaves for a state visit to China on Tuesday.

But the war is not in the rear view mirror as he had hoped. The ceasefire with Iran is "on massive life support," as Trump put it Monday and the conflict is in an unsteady and uncertain holding pattern.

"It is remarkable that President Trump is prepared to go to China under these circumstances," said Kurt Campbell, chairman of The Asia Group and a top Biden administration adviser on China. "But may I also say that it's also deeply unusual that China is prepared to host him."

China and Iran are close allies and trading partners, and the U.S. has just spent weeks bombing Iran and is now blockading all ships connected to Iran. Meanwhile, there are questions about whether China has assisted Iran. And yet, the state visit is moving ahead as planned.

"It suggests that both believe they have interests in meeting," said Campbell. "And I think part of that is a desire to keep a relationship that is fraught and challenging with a degree at least of equilibrium."

A senior U.S. official not authorized to speak publicly said a better question would be "why would [Trump] not continue" with this trip and all the other duties that he has as president.

Grand ceremonies and grand gestures are on the agenda along with trade talks and the possibility of creating a "U.S.-China Board of Trade" to manage what has been a challenging relationship between the two countries. They may also discuss AI technology, the official said, at least to establish "some channels of deconfliction."

When President Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping last fall in South Korea, the two leaders turned down the temperature on what had been an escalating trade war.

"From zero to 10 with 10 being the best, I would say the meeting was a 12," Trump said on Air Force One after the meeting, where plans were made for this state visit.

"I said but 'we have to put on the biggest display you've ever had in the history of China,'" Trump said at a meeting of world leaders in Washington earlier this year. He was building hype for this visit. "You know the last time I went to China, President Xi, he treated me so well."

Trump's schedule includes a welcome ceremony, two bilateral meetings with Xi, a state banquet, a tour of the Temple of Heaven and a tea in a whirlwind less than 48 hours on the ground.

More than a dozen big name U.S. corporate executives, including Apple's Tim Cook and Tesla's Elon Musk, are traveling as part of the delegation.

"The American people can expect the president to deliver more good deals on behalf of our country," said Anna Kelly, the White House deputy press secretary, on a call previewing the trip. "These agreements will further rebalance trade with China while putting American workers, farmers and families first and safeguarding U.S. economic strength and national security."

When this visit was put on the books last fall, the focus was on keeping the trade truce between the two countries going. And that is still on the agenda, but now there's this pressing new global challenge.

"I do think that this war will dominate the summit," said Lyle Goldstein, director of the China Initiative at Brown University. "Let's face it, it will push a lot of other things off the agenda. I mean, if for no other reason … Trump is focused on it because he wants it off his desk as it were."

Iran's foreign minister recently went to China and met with his counterpart there. And China is credited with helping to push Iran to accept the initial ceasefire, the one Trump said is now on life support. Lyle says he could imagine Trump asking Xi to help pressure Iran to re-open the Strait of Hormuz and make a deal to end the war.

This inevitably changes the dynamic between Trump and Xi headed into this high stakes visit.

"The war in Iran has given President Xi sources of leverage that he would not have anticipated having at the beginning of this year," said Ali Wyne with the International Crisis Group.

For instance, he said the U.S. will need rare earth minerals from China to rebuild its supply of missile interceptors depleted by the war.

To hear Trump tell it, the war with Iran hasn't affected his friendly relationship with Xi. And when there have been questions about China possibly assisting Iran in the war, Trump has downplayed those concerns.

"He's somebody I get along with very well. Just wrote me a beautiful letter," Trump told Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo in a recent interview.