US and China hold talks ahead of Xi's planned Washington visit

MANILA — US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi have held talks in Manila on preparations for Chinese President Xi Jinping's planned visit to Washington in September, alongside discussions on key strategic and trade issues.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the ASEAN foreign ministers' gathering. Rubio described the talks as constructive, saying they focused on managing the complex relationship between the world's two largest economies, and that the two sides had discussed trade, Taiwan, and areas of potential cooperation ahead of the expected summit between the two leaders.

Wang stressed the need for the United States to respect China's core interests and adhere to the One China principle, describing Taiwan as the most significant challenge to bilateral ties. The two sides also discussed regional issues, including tensions in the Middle East, maritime security, and the South China Sea.

Xi is expected to travel to the United States on September 24, in a visit that would follow the summit the two leaders held in Beijing in May. That meeting produced a framework for deeper cooperation and several economic understandings, though analysts noted that the most contentious areas of competition, among them artificial intelligence, export controls and cyber operations, remained largely unresolved.

One outcome of the May summit is a planned round of talks on artificial intelligence, which Reuters has reported is likely to take place in September before Xi's arrival, with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent expected to lead the American delegation. The dates, agenda, and venue have yet to be finalised. China's foreign ministry has said Beijing remains willing to work with Washington to implement the consensus on AI reached by the two presidents.

The diplomatic preparations have proceeded despite friction in recent days. Beijing said this week that communication on leader-level exchanges had been maintained, after President Donald Trump used a prime-time address to accuse China of interfering in US elections, remarks that some observers suggested could complicate the visit. Rubio played down that prospect before travelling to the Philippines.