US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at a regional Asian summit yesterday that he expects a “very positive” visit from Chinese President Xi Jinping to the US in September.
The visit has yet to be officially confirmed, but Rubio made it clear the White House expected it to happen as he emerged from a meeting with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of a meeting of Southeast Asian leaders. “I think President Xi will have a very positive visit when (he) comes to Washington,” Rubio told reporters in Manila, saying he and Wang had spoken at length, laying the groundwork for a fruitful trip.
While acknowledging the two countries had “significant differences”, Rubio said they would “have to work through those”.
“I think these differences will exist for the foreseeable future, and our job is to sort of manage those so that they never get out of control,” he said.
Rubio and Wang’s meeting yesterday came just days after the US condemned Beijing’s actions in the disputed South China Sea, and followed President Donald Trump’s accusations of Chinese interference in US elections.
Trump denounced last week “shocking vulnerabilities” in the US electoral system and specifically pointed a finger at China, which he accused of hacking data in the 2020 election. Beijing has denied the allegations.
Rubio told reporters in Manila yesterday the two envoys “had not discussed it”.
China’s foreign ministry said in a statement yesterday evening that Wang urged the US to “respect China’s core interests” and “effectively manage differences…, letting this year of opportunity for China-US relations become a reality”.
Wang also “articulated China’s solemn position regarding a series of negative words and actions by the US side”, the statement said, without referring to specific issues. Xi’s visit to the US would follow a trip to Beijing in May by Trump, who has boasted about his good relationship with Xi despite the two countries’ geopolitical rivalry.
Rubio and Wang are both in Manila for a meeting of foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The US and its allies condemned on Tuesday China’s “dangerous” behaviour after a clash the previous day between Chinese and Philippine sailors in the disputed South China Sea, a crucial route for global trade.
Maritime security has loomed over the summit in Manila this week, with Rubio writing in an opinion piece in Philippine media on Tuesday that Washington is committed “to freedom of navigation in Southeast Asia”.
