TRUMP SET FOR CHINA VISIT, DATE UNDER DISCUSSION -- RUBIO
By Samantha Tan
KUALA LUMPUR, July 11 (Bernama) -- United States (US) President Donald Trump’s visit to China is expected to proceed, with both sides now working on finding the right date, said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
He said the summit between Trump and China's President Xi Jinping is likely to take place, following his first face-to-face meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi today on the sidelines of the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM).
"President Trump has been invited to visit China. He wants to undertake that visit, so we will work on finding the right date for it.
"I'm sure it'll happen because both presidents want it to happen," he said.
On June 5, it was reported that Trump and Xi had spoken by phone, during which both leaders agreed to exchange visits and instructed their respective teams to hold discussions in the interim.
The call marked the first known direct contact between the two leaders since Trump initiated a trade war with China in February.
On the one-hour meeting with Wang, Rubio said it was productive and positive.
"It wasn’t a negotiation, it was a meeting. It’s important that the US and China have productive meetings and regular engagement and communication.
"We thought it was very constructive, and hopefully we will be able to build on that to continue to bring stability to our relationship. I think it would benefit the world if that is the case," he said.
Meanwhile, Rubio said he also had a meeting with Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bui Thanh Son.
"Today, by the way, is the 30th anniversary of US diplomatic relations with Vietnam, which we intend to continue to commemorate with real actions in addition to high-level meetings," he said.
Rubio also said the US has received strong recognition and appreciation for its role in the region during AMM, which ended today.
"We look forward to a very positive and productive leaders’ meeting in October," he added.
-- BERNAMA
