WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke on Wednesday with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on global and regional issues, in a follow-up to the meeting the two counterparts held in Malaysia earlier this year, State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott said.
“Secretary Rubio emphasized the importance of open and constructive communication on a range of bilateral issues,” Pigott said in a statement. “They also discussed other global and regional issues as a continuation of the discussions in Kuala Lumpur.”
Rubio met Wang in July on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum in Malaysia, in a meeting both sides described as positive and constructive, despite tension over Washington’s tariffs.
Rubio said at the time that the odds of U.S. President Donald Trump meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping were high.
The rise of global trade barriers since Trump’s return to the presidency has exacerbated challenges for China’s export-driven economy, with the imposition of sweeping duties on imports of Chinese products setting off months of tit-for-tat tariff escalations.
Washington and Beijing in August extended a truce for 90 days, staving off even higher duties.
Trump urged EU officials on Tuesday to hit China with tariffs of up to 100% as part of a strategy to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a U.S. official and an EU diplomat.
China and India are major purchasers of Russian oil and, as such, they play a vital role in keeping Russia’s economy afloat as it continues to pursue its expanded invasion of Ukraine, which began in 2022.
(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Franklin Paul, Rod Nickel)
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