On September 10th, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a phone call with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, continuing discussions on the issues raised during the July meeting in Malaysia. This conversation marked another high-level interaction between the US and China following a call between US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chinese Minister of National Defense Wei Feng within the same week. Analysts suggest that these interactions may be laying the groundwork for a potential meeting between leaders of the two countries.
In a statement, US State Department Spokesperson Tommy Pigott emphasized the importance of maintaining open and constructive communication on various bilateral issues. They also discussed global and regional matters as a continuation of the Kuala Lumpur meeting.
According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s statement, Wang Yi asserted during the call that the “two giant ships of China and the United States must move forward together” and stressed the need to uphold the strategic guidance and important consensus of the two countries’ leaders. Wang Yi further urged the US to exercise caution on the Taiwan issue.
Both sides deemed the call timely, necessary, and productive, emphasizing the importance of further leveraging “leadership diplomacy” in guiding US-China relations.
During the East Asia Summit in Malaysia in July, Marco Rubio and Wang Yi also held a meeting, described as positive and constructive by both parties.
Rubio mentioned at that time that the possibility of a meeting between President Trump and Xi Jinping was “high.” However, neither the recent statements from Hegseth nor Rubio mentioned a potential “Trump-Xi meeting.”
The day before Rubio’s call with Wang Yi, US Defense Secretary Hegseth had a video call with Chinese Minister of National Defense Wei Feng. Both sides reiterated their commitment to avoiding conflict, but significant differences remain on issues concerning Taiwan and the South China Sea.
Hegseth made it clear that the United States has significant interests in the “Indo-Pacific region” and will staunchly defend those interests.
On the trade front, US officials have reportedly informed several media outlets that on Tuesday, Trump urged EU officials to impose tariffs of up to 100% on China as part of a strategy to pressure Russian President Putin.
China and India are major buyers of Russian oil. At a time when Moscow continues its aggression against Ukraine, the purchasing actions of these countries are seen as crucial factors supporting the Russian economy.