Observers said the call, following a 90-day truce last month, rekindled hopes of cooling heightened US-China tensions over tariffs and global supplies of rare earth minerals, placing trade talks as the most pressing and dominating issue for bilateral ties in the near future.
They noted a shift in Washington’s approach to China, driven largely by economic pragmatism and Trump’s preference for personal deal-making, while some said it signalled Rubio’s diminished role in US-China ties.
In the past, direct engagements between US and Chinese leaders were usually preceded by groundwork involving China’s top diplomats and their US counterparts, namely, the secretary of state or the national security adviser.
Regular face-to-face dialogue between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is also Xi’s top foreign policy aide, and former national security adviser Jake Sullivan and former US secretary of state Antony Blinken helped set the stage for Xi’s multiple meetings and calls with Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden.
