Top diplomats of US, China hold phone talk ahead of Trump-Xi summit

By Berk Kutay Gokmen

ISTANBUL (AA) - US State Secretary Marco Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a phone conversation on Monday, ahead of a summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Wang expressed his hopes that China and the US “will work in the same direction, make preparations for high-level interactions, and create conditions for the development of bilateral relations," according to a statement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

The phone talk came as Trump is set to meet Xi in South Korea, according to the White House. The two leaders will visit South Korea for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.

A stable, healthy, and sustainable bilateral relationship "serves the long-term interests" of the two countries, Wang told Rubio, whom he met early this year in Malaysia.

Despite recent setbacks in the China-US trade relations, Wang said the two sides “clarified their positions, enhanced understanding, and reached a framework consensus” to solve economic issues through trade negotiations.

He expressed his hope that “both sides will meet each other halfway, prepare for high-level interactions, and create conditions for the development of bilateral relations.”

For his part, Rubio said that the US-China relationship is the “most important” bilateral relationship in the world, adding that he looks forward to sending a positive signal to the world through high-level interactions, according to the statement from Beijing.