China’s Wang Talks With Sanctioned Rubio in Early Sign of Amity

(Bloomberg) -- China’s top diplomat spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a phone call Friday, despite the former Republican senator still being under Beijing’s sanctions.

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Both the Chinese and US governments should implement the “important consensus” reached between Presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump, Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Rubio, according to a Chinese government statement. The two teams need to maintain communication, manage differences and expand cooperation in the pursuit of the right way for the two nations to get along in the new era, he added.

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Rubio, a prominent China critic, was the first of Trump’s cabinet picks to be approved by the Senate on Monday. China sanctioned him twice in 2020 over his criticism of Beijing’s handling of Hong Kong and Xinjiang as well as his push for laws to punish the Chinese government for it.

Sanctions have prevented some communications between the world’s leading powers. China’s former Defense Minister Li Shangfu, who rose to that job while sanctioned by Washington, refused to hold talks with his US counterpart until such measures were lifted, although American officials claimed the restrictions didn’t prevent such a sitdown.

The two talked about Taiwan in their call, according to the Chinese readout. Wang reiterated that Beijing will never allow Taiwan to be separated from the mainland, and warned the US to handle related matters carefully.

China has no intention to surpass or replace anyone, but also has to defend its legitimate rights, Wang also told Rubio.

US-China relations were off to an unexpectedly warm start after Trump avoided committing to a plan for Chinese tariffs right after his inauguration. He also threw China-owned company ByteDance Ltd a lifeline, giving it 75 days to find a US partner. Such a deal would save video app TikTok, which Trump used to reach young voters, from going dark in America.

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The Chinese statement didn’t mention Beijing’s sanctions imposed on Rubio but Wang Yi said he hopes that Rubio could “behave himself” and do his best to play a constructive role for the future of the Chinese and American people.

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