Ahead of Xi's expected visit to the United States, Beijing and Washington's top diplomats are preparing for contacts at the "highest level"
Kyiv • UNN
Wang Yi and Marco Rubio discussed preparations for contacts at the highest level ahead of the expected meeting between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump. The sides also discussed the situation in the Middle East.
On Thursday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during a phone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that both countries "should properly prepare for the next stage of high-level engagement in the spirit of equality, respect and reciprocity." This was reported by China's foreign ministry, UNN reports, citing Reuters.
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Diplomacy at the level of heads of state serves as the foundation of China-U.S. relations, Wang Yi said, adding that the sides should strengthen communication, deepen cooperation, manage differences and respect each other's core interests.
The conversation took place a week before the expected visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to the United States. According to Donald Trump, the meeting with him is scheduled for September 24.
The official Chinese statement on the conversation did not directly confirm the upcoming meeting between Xi and Trump, but noted that Wang Yi and Rubio "held in-depth discussions focused on high-level contacts between the two countries."
The two senior diplomats also discussed the situation in the Middle East, China's Foreign Ministry said — the day after Wang Yi held talks in Beijing with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
During a meeting with Araghchi on Wednesday, Wang Yi called on Iran and the United States to act rationally, exercise restraint, return to the temporary peace agreement signed in June and "begin substantive consultations," as well as advocating the resumption of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.