Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi described Taiwan as “the biggest risk factor in China-US relations” during a phone call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
Wang said that Beijing and Washington “must safeguard the hard-won stability and make thorough preparations for the coming high-level engagements”, CCTV reported.
This appears to refer to possible multiple meetings between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump in 2026, including one that the White House said would take place in Beijing in mid-May, though no specific dates or arrangements were disclosed in the CCTV report.
“The Taiwan issue concerns China’s core interests and is the biggest risk factor in China-US relations,” Wang said.
“The US side should honour its commitments, make the right choice, open up new space for China-US cooperation, and do its part to promote world peace,” Wang added.
On the same day, in a video call that also laid the groundwork for the highly anticipated Trump-Xi summit, Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng spoke with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, CCTV said.
