Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke on Friday to his US counterpart Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a meeting that represents the first direct exchange between the two since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term. In the telephone call, Wang underscored the significance of Sino-US ties saying that the course and tenor of their diplomatic relations had already been set by their respective leaders.
Wang implored Rubio, an open critic of China, to act positively in enhancing cordial relations between the two countries. “I hope you would conduct yourself well and play a constructive role in the future of the Chinese and American people and in world peace and stability,” Wang remarked. Rubio had said in Senate confirmation hearings last week that China is the “gravest threat” to the US, setting up the tense state of the two nations.
China’s Foreign Ministry said Wang also stressed the importance of both sides working together to maintain communication, manage differences, and promote the stable development of their relationship. This comes after President’s Xi Jinping and Trump agreed to set up a strategic communication channel on major issues in a recent phone call.
It’s amid growing anxieties over US trade policies and China’s part in the fentanyl trade- President Trump had proposed a potential 10% duty on Chinese imports. But even more worrisome was Taiwan, tensions surrounding which kept relations strained. Wang reiterated Beijing’s position that Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory and vowed not to accept anything to separate it from the motherland.
Both countries continue to walk a delicate diplomatic tightrope, balancing cooperation with growing areas of contention.