BEIJING: China has expressed hope that the United States will work with it to “meet halfway” and help prepare for high-level engagements between the two countries, Foreign Minister Wang Yi told US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a phone call on Monday, according to an official Chinese statement.
Wang noted that Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump have maintained long-standing exchanges and mutual respect, describing their relationship as “the most valuable strategic asset in China-US relations.”
The call took place ahead of a meeting between Xi and Trump in South Korea later this week on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit.
While the Chinese statement did not explicitly confirm the meeting, the White House has previously indicated that it will take place on Thursday.
The discussion comes amid a renewed escalation in trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies after a brief period of calm.
In recent weeks, Beijing has tightened controls on rare earth exports, while Washington has imposed additional port fees on Chinese vessels, prompting a series of reciprocal countermeasures.
Trade negotiators from the two sides met in Malaysia over the weekend to hash out a framework trade agreement for the presidents to consider, on issues including soybeans and TikTok.
“China-US trade and economic relations (have) experienced some twists and turns,” Wang said, according to the readout released by his ministry.
“The two sides clarified their positions and enhanced understanding” during the trade talks in Kuala Lumpur, he said.
Bilateral ties can move forward as long as both sides are “committed to resolving conflicts through dialogue and abandon the practice of exerting pressure at will,” Wang added.
Trump began a tour of Asia on Sunday, which is set to culminate in a meeting with Xi in South Korea — the first face-to-face talks between the two leaders since the US president began his second term in January.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and China’s Vice Premier He Lifeng have already held two days of trade talks, seeking an agreement to avoid additional 100 percent tariffs due to come into effect on November 1.
