A breakthrough before the Trump-Xi summit? China and the US have reached a 'framework consensus'

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday that Beijing has reached a “framework consensus” with the US on key trade issues, which will constitute the basis for stabilizing bilateral relations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported after the foreign minister's conversation with US Secretary of State Mark Rubio.

Wang said the agreement was reached after “turmoil” in trade relations recently. He noted that the breakthrough was made possible thanks to the talks in Kuala Lumpur last weekend.

“The parties clarified their positions, deepened understanding and reached a framework consensus on (…) solving current, urgent economic and trade problems,” said Wang, quoted in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs note.

US Finance Minister Scott Bessent, who led the US delegation, assessed on Sunday after the negotiations that they had created a “very good framework” for concluding a trade agreement with China during the meeting of President Donald Trump and the leader of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping. The meeting is scheduled to take place on Thursday in South Korea on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Community (APEC) summit.

– We discussed trade, rare earth metals, fentanyl, TikTok and general relations between the two countries – concluded the representative of Washington.

According to Wang, the foundation of relations remains respect between the leaders of both countries, and the agreement reached proves that progress is possible. “As long as both sides are guided by the spirit of equality, respect and reciprocity, insist on resolving contradictions through dialogue and reject the practice of exerting pressure, it is possible to stabilize and move our relations forward,” he emphasized.

A note from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that US Foreign Minister Rubio stated that “US-China relations are the most important bilateral relations in the world.” He also expressed hope that high-level interactions would “send a positive signal to the world.”

From Beijing Krzysztof Pawliszak (PAP)

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