UPDATED at 5:00 p.m. on Jan. 24, 2025.
WASHINGTON - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke by telephone on Friday about the need to properly manage bilateral relations and the status of the island of Taiwan.
The call came amid President Donald Trump’s announcement on Wednesday that he planned to introduce a punitive tariff of 10% on all Chinese imports into the United States and as officials in Beijing provided little clarity about a Chinese travel ban on Rubio.
“I hope you would conduct yourself well and play a constructive role in the future of the Chinese and American people and in world peace and stability,” Wang said to Rubio at the conclusion of the call, according to a readout from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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The Chinese foreign ministry readout also said Wang warned Rubio that Taiwan, a self-governing and democratic island claimed by China as a renegade province, was an integral part of China and that Rubio said the United States remained against Taiwanese independence.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said Rubio emphasized to Wang the new administration’s focus on Trump’s “America first” policy.
“Secretary Rubio emphasized that the Trump Administration will pursue a U.S.-PRC relationship that advances U.S. interests and puts the American people first,” Bruce said, referring to the People’s Republic of China.
“The Secretary also stressed the United States’ commitment to our allies in the region and serious concern over China’s coercive actions against Taiwan and in the South China Sea,” she added.
The call followed last Friday’s conversation between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who agreed to keep lines of communication open.
According to the Chinese foreign ministry’s readout of the call, Wang told Rubio they should work to “implement the important consensuses of the two leaders” reached during last Friday’s phone call, and that U.S.-China ties were potentially entering “a new significant stage.”
“We have no intention of surpassing or replacing anyone, but we must defend our legitimate right to development,” it said.
Rubio also held a call with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son on Friday, the U.S. State Department said.
The pair discussed “regional concerns,” according to a readout, including “China’s aggressive behavior in the South China Sea.”
Edited by Malcolm Foster. Updated to include a comment from the U.S. State Department spokesperson.