BEIJING: With US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping set to meet for a high-stakes summit in a few weeks, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed that the interactions between the two leaders have helped stabilise US-China relations.
“It is heartening that the leaders of the two countries have led by example by maintaining positive interactions at the top level,” he said on Sunday (March 8), signalling that Beijing might be ready for a deal at the upcoming meeting, even as it has yet to confirm the date.
“This has provided an important strategic safeguard for the relationship to improve and move forward, as well as achieved overall stability after ups and downs.”
For the two countries, avoiding engagement would only breed misunderstanding and miscalculation, steering them towards conflict and confrontation, and ultimately harming the world, said Wang, China’s top diplomat, at a press conference.
He was speaking to foreign and Chinese media during the Two Sessions, China’s annual parliamentary meetings.
Trump and Xi have held several phone calls and one in-person meeting – in October 2025 – since the American President again took office in January 2025.
It is believed that both the US and China are keen to avoid antagonism ahead of Trump’s visit to Beijing, which will mark the first time in eight years a US president has made a trip to China.
Issues ranging from tariffs to rare earths are expected to be on the agenda.
The White House has announced that Trump will visit China from March 31 to April 2, while a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman would say only that both sides remain “in communication” over the trip.
Striking a measured tone, Wang said both the US and China are major countries that cannot change each other, but they can alter the way they interact. He noted that 2026 is “a big year” for US-China relations, with top-level exchanges on the cards.
“What two sides need to do now is to make thorough preparation, create a conducive atmosphere, manage the risks that do exist, and remove unnecessary disruptions. China’s attitude has always been positive and open. It is critical that the US works in the same direction.
“I am confident that as long as both sides treat each other with sincerity and engage in good faith, we can steadily expand the list of cooperative endeavours while continuously reducing the list of issues,” said Wang.
“Let 2026 become a landmark year in which China-US relations embark on a path of healthy, stable and sustainable development.”
On the Iran war, he avoided direct criticism of the US, even as Beijing has described American-Israeli actions as violations of international law.
He said China’s stance has been “impartial and objective”, and renewed the Chinese call for an end to hostilities.
“This is a war that should not have happened. It is a war that does no one any good. The history of the Middle East has repeatedly shown the world that force is not the solution to problems; the clash of arms only breeds new hatred and sows the seeds of fresh crises,” Wang added.
The US-Israeli attack on Iran that started on Feb 28 shows little sign of de-escalation, with Trump vowing on March 7 to keep up the bombardment until Iran surrenders unconditionally. Tehran has retaliated against Israel and its neighbours with American bases.
China is not directly involved in the conflict, but its stance has come under scrutiny because it is an important partner to Tehran. China is the main buyer of Iranian oil, and relies on Iran for 13 per cent of its crude oil imports.
“All parties should return to the negotiating table as soon as possible, resolve differences through equal dialogue and strive to achieve common security,” said Wang.
Dr Sun Chenghao, who researches US-China relations at Tsinghua University, said Wang’s remarks signal that, overall, China wishes for the summit to proceed as scheduled, but this is contingent on the US making the right moves.
He noted that Wang did not allow the Iran issue to dominate the discussion.
Instead, the Foreign Minister stressed how the agenda for high-level exchanges has been laid out.
“This indicates China’s determination to prevent the Middle Eastern conflict from disrupting the overall rhythm of high-level interactions between the two nations,” he told The Straits Times.
China’s current assessment of bilateral relations is not that “the relationship will naturally improve”, said Dr Sun. Rather, Beijing believes there is an opportunity for it to stabilise, and this requires political guidance and concrete outcomes, he added.
George Chen, partner at Washington-based advisory firm The Asia Group, told ST that he is confident that the Trump-Xi summit will proceed as planned.
He noted the positive rhetoric from Wang, such as the latter’s expectation that 2026 would be a “healthy, stable and sustainable year” for US-China relations.
Chen believes the reason Wang has not confirmed the dates yet is to provide some flexibility for Trump, in case the Iran crisis worsens and Mr Trump decides to stay in Washington.
“China wants to be clear now that China is ready to host Trump, although the final call lies with Trump in case of any last-minute change on Trump’s end,” Chen added.
Commenting on ties with Europe, Wang sought to paint a more positive picture of a relationship that has been marred by contentious issues, such as a growing trade imbalance. European industries worry about Chinese competition in sectors such as green technology.
He said the relationship has “progressively warmed” since 2025, with a series of European leaders visiting China, bilateral trade surpassing the one trillion-dollar mark, and more than two million European tourists coming to China visa-free.
He added: “We are pleased to see our European friends stepping out of the ‘small attic’ of protectionism and entering the ‘gym’ of the Chinese market, where they can strengthen their muscles and bones and enhance their competitiveness.” - The Straits Times/ANN
