The key facts

  • Wang Yi and Marco Rubio held a phone call ahead of the APEC summit
  • China declared its readiness to 'properly manage differences and sensitive issues'
  • The APEC summit will be held in China on November 18–19 with the participation of Xi Jinping, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin

Phone call on the eve of the APEC summit

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a phone call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. According to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, Wang emphasized Beijing's readiness to 'strengthen communication and cooperation with the American side, and properly manage differences and sensitive issues.'

Statements from Beijing

Wang Yi stated that China and the US support each other in successfully hosting the APEC summit and the G20 summit, and should also 'achieve tangible progress in building constructive China-US relations of strategic stability.' According to him, China's broader policy toward Washington remains 'stable and consistent.' Wang characterized the call itself as 'positive and constructive,' adding that 'the stable momentum in China-US relations has not come easily and is a rational choice of two major countries, based on their own and shared interests.'

Summit context

The call took place ahead of the APEC economic leaders' meeting, which Xi Jinping will host on November 18–19 in China. The summit brings together representatives of 21 economies, including US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin; reports mentioned a possible trilateral meeting with Putin in Shenzhen. According to the Chinese side, Xi and Trump, during the two summits held this year — in Beijing and Washington — agreed to build 'constructive relations of strategic stability based on respect, fairness and reciprocity.' As of the time of publication, the US Secretary of State had not issued his own readout of the call.