Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pressed for a concerted effort to resolve outstanding issues in U.S.-China relations during a Wednesday meeting with U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue in Beijing. The dialogue comes as President Xi Jinping prepares to visit Washington for talks with President Donald Trump on September 24.
According to a statement from China's Foreign Ministry, Wang stressed that fostering and advancing bilateral ties under the current leadership is vital, but acknowledged that the relationship “still faces various risks and challenges.” He called on both sides to implement the agreements reached by the two heads of state, prioritize constructive agendas, manage disagreements appropriately, and “eliminate interference and overcome obstacles” to ensure high-level exchanges proceed smoothly. He added that the goal is to steer China-U.S. relations toward “stability, health, and sustainability.”
Ambassador Perdue described his meetings with Wang and other Chinese officials as “productive” in a social media post on Thursday, noting that the two nations are “working together to achieve a constructive relationship of strategic stability with fairness and reciprocity.”
The upcoming summit in Washington occurs against a backdrop of heightened friction. The Trump administration recently imposed new sanctions on Chinese companies with ties to Iran's energy sector, part of its “Economic D-Day” campaign aimed at pressuring Tehran. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian warned on Tuesday that such penalties would “only further intensify tensions” between the two countries. “Economic warfare and maximum pressure will not help resolve the issue,” Lin told reporters, adding that they create “spillover risks.”
Additionally, the Justice Department announced Wednesday that it had disrupted a multiyear Chinese hacking operation that targeted networks used by NASA, the Federal Reserve, the Department of Energy, the U.S. Senate, the Department of Health and Human Services, and other sensitive federal agencies and contractors. The seizure of hacking tools used in those intrusions has raised questions about whether the issue will be raised during the summit.
When asked by Fox News whether the two leaders would discuss the hacking scheme, Attorney General Todd Blanche declined to speculate, saying he would not “tell President Trump what he needs to talk to the leadership about in China.” He noted that U.S. officials have raised the issue with Chinese counterparts “for many, many years,” and that “they know we know that it's happening. And it has to stop.”
The meeting between Wang and Perdue marks a continued effort to manage a complex relationship, even as the Trump administration's sanctions push against Iran puts new pressure on Beijing. The summit is expected to cover economic, security, and geopolitical issues, with both sides seeking to stabilize ties despite deep disagreements.
