• US, Chinese presidents set to meet in South Korea, ahead of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, according to White House

ISTANBUL

The interactions and mutual respect between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump have become the “most valuable strategic asset” in bilateral ties, the country’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Monday.

Wang told this to US State Secretary Marco Rubio during a phone conversation, ahead of a summit between Xi and Trump.

Wang expressed his hopes that China and the US “will work in the same direction, make preparations for high-level interactions, and create conditions for the development of bilateral relations," according to a statement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

The State Department separately said the top diplomats "discussed the importance of the U.S.-China relationship," as well as the upcoming Trump-Xi sit-down.

The phone call came as Trump is set to meet Xi in South Korea, according to the White House. The two leaders will visit South Korea for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.

“President Xi Jinping and President Trump are both world-class leaders, and their long-standing interactions and mutual respect have become the most valuable strategic asset in China-US relations,” Wang said.

A stable, healthy, and sustainable bilateral relationship "serves the long-term interests" of the two countries, Wang told Rubio, whom he met early this year in Malaysia.

Despite recent setbacks in the China-US trade relations, Wang said the two sides “clarified their positions, enhanced understanding, and reached a framework consensus” to solve economic issues through trade negotiations.

He expressed his hope that “both sides will meet each other halfway, prepare for high-level interactions, and create conditions for the development of bilateral relations.”

For his part, Rubio said that the US-China relationship is the “most important” bilateral relationship in the world, adding that he looks forward to sending a positive signal to the world through high-level interactions, according to the statement from Beijing.

Beijing has not said anything about Xi’s summit with Trump, but the Chinese and US sides held two-day trade talks over the weekend in Malaysia.

The US side said it had reached a “very substantial framework” on trade ties with Beijing, while the Chinese side said the two sides had reached a “preliminary consensus.”