With a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping scheduled, the two sides' top diplomatic and trade officials have made a flurry of phone contacts.
According to China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 30th (local time), China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that day. The call came ahead of President Trump's visit to China, set for the 14th–15th, and the U.S.-China summit.
Director General Wang said summit diplomacy has always served as the compass for China-U.S. relations. In particular, he said, "Under the strategic guidance of President Xi and President Trump, China-U.S. relations have maintained stability," adding, "This aligns with the fundamental interests of the peoples of both countries and the common expectations of the international community."
Director General Wang also said the two countries should preserve the stabilizing phase and prepare agendas necessary for exchanges. He added they should broaden areas of cooperation, manage points of disagreement, and find ways to build China-U.S. relations with strategic, constructive, and stable characteristics. He also said they should realize mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation.
Director General Wang stressed, "The Taiwan issue is China's core interest and the biggest risk in China-U.S. relations," emphasizing that "the United States should keep its promises and make the right decisions to open new space for cooperation and make the efforts it ought to make for world peace."
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs conveyed remarks by Minister Rubio. Minister Rubio said U.S.-China relations are the most important bilateral relationship in the world and that summit diplomacy is the key to those ties. He also said the two countries should maintain communication and coordination, respect each other, and handle differences appropriately.
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said Minister Rubio noted that the two sides should build results to enable high-level exchanges and seek strategic stability in the relationship.
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the two also exchanged views on the situation in the Middle East.
The two countries also held a virtual meeting that day between senior representatives for trade talks. According to China Central Television (CCTV), China State Council Vice Premier He Lifeng held a video call that evening with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer.
CCTV said, "Both sides put at the center the faithful implementation of the important agreements reached at the Busan meeting last October and in previous calls," adding, "They held candid, in-depth, and constructive exchanges on better resolving the economic and trade issues of mutual concern and on expanding practical cooperation."
It added, "China expressed grave concern over the recent U.S. imposition of economic and trade restrictions targeting China."
The United States has recently continued to ratchet up pressure on China. The U.S. House has passed or advanced several new export control measures to block China's access to advanced technologies and semiconductor manufacturing equipment. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) at the Treasury Department also issued an advisory on the 28th prohibiting transactions with small private refineries in China's Shandong province that purchase Iranian crude oil.