US, China have ‘very constructive and positive’ meeting at Asean ministers’ talks
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The meeting is among the highest-level sit-downs between the two nations since Mr Donald Trump's re-election.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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KUALA LUMPUR – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese top diplomat Wang Yi had a “positive” meeting in Malaysia on July 11, both sides said, in an apparent bid to ease tensions between the rival powers.
Their first face-to-face meeting since Mr Donald Trump returned to the White House came as Washington and Beijing are locked in disputes from trade to Taiwan – and as both countries vie for greater influence in the region.
“I thought it was a very constructive and positive meeting,” Mr Rubio told reporters after the hour-long talks in Kuala Lumpur, but stressed “it was not a negotiation”.
“I think we left it feeling as though there are some areas we are going to be able to work together on.”
Mr Rubio expressed confidence that a meeting between Mr Trump and President Xi Jinping would happen. “There is a strong desire on both sides to do it,” he said, adding that no date has been set.
Beijing said in a separate statement that “both sides agreed that the meeting was positive, pragmatic and constructive”.
Both countries agreed to “enhance communication and dialogue through diplomatic channels... and explore expanding cooperation areas, while managing differences”, China’s Foreign Ministry said.
The sit-down between Mr Wang and Mr Rubio, a long-time China hawk, came as Asean foreign ministers wrapped up three days of intensive talks
Mr Trump has said he would like to meet Mr Xi in 2025, and a top Chinese official last week expressed optimism over bilateral ties.
In a phone conversation in early June, Mr Xi invited Mr Trump to visit China. The US administration has been reaching out to business executives to weigh interest in their accompanying Mr Trump on a possible trip to China in 2025, Bloomberg News reported last week.
In February, Mr Wang travelled to New York for a United Nations Security Council meeting, but no meeting with the Trump administration took place.
In the following weeks, a series of tit-for-tat measures saw US tariffs on Chinese products jump to as high as 145 per cent before they were suspended for 90 days after negotiations in May.
“Considering that Trump seems to be toying with the idea of meeting Xi on the sidelines of the Apec (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) summit, or even in Beijing possibly in early September, the two senior diplomats of both countries could explore whether this is a promising course of action and could smooth feathers a bit to get there,” said Dr Klaus Larres, professor of history and international affairs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Mr Rubio stressed the importance of “regular engagement and communication” between the US and China to help stabilise ties.
“I think it would benefit the world,” he said.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the US and China agreed to “strengthen communication in various fields and at all levels” and explore cooperation while managing differences.
Mr Wang expressed hope that Washington will view Beijing “in an objective, rational and pragmatic manner” and formulate its China policy with the goal of “peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation”.
He also called on the US to deal with China “in an equal, respectful and mutually beneficial manner”. AFP, BLOOMBERG
