China-US relations stabilise as Wang Yi and Rubio hold 'positive and constructive' call

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a constructive phone call on November 11, 2026, ahead of the APEC summit in Shenzhen. The call comes as Washington attempts to arrange a trilateral summit between Donald Trump, Xi Jinping, and Vladimir Putin focused on denuclearization, AI risks, and ending conflicts in Ukraine and Iran. However, core economic friction over tariffs, tech limits, and rare earths persists between the two nations.

Wang Yi and Marco Rubio call

• ▪Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a positive and constructive phone call with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio
• ▪The U.S. State Department issued no immediate readout following the November 11, 2026 call between Marco Rubio and Wang Yi
• ▪Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated that the current stability in China-U.S. relations is a rational choice made by both countries based on respective and shared interests

Proposed trilateral summit involving Trump, Xi, and Putin

• ▪U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on November 10, 2026, that work is underway to arrange a trilateral meeting involving Donald Trump, Xi Jinping, and Vladimir Putin
• ▪U.S. President Donald Trump stated on November 8, 2026, that he expected to meet Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin in Shenzhen to discuss denuclearization and ending the war in Iran
• ▪China's foreign ministry stated in October 2026 that joining trilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations with the U.S. and Russia is neither fair, reasonable, nor realistic due to mismatched nuclear arsenals
• ▪The Wall Street Journal reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin pitched using a trilateral meeting to discuss ending the war in Ukraine

U.S.-China bilateral meetings and trade relations

• ▪In September 2026 in Washington, U.S. and Chinese leaders agreed to a two-month extension of a trade truce that had been set to expire in November 2026
• ▪The United States and China remain in ongoing disputes over tariffs, Chinese purchases of U.S. goods, rare earth exports, and technology restrictions
• ▪U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping have met twice in 2026 prior to the scheduled November APEC meeting