US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a longtime China hawk, expressed concern about Beijing’s coercive behavior against Taiwan and aggression in the South China Sea in his first formal call with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday, a sign that the US-China relationship could get turbulent.
Rubio emphasised to Wang that the Trump administration would pursue a relationship with China that “advances US interests and puts the American people first”, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said in a statement on Friday.
“The secretary also stressed the United States’ commitment to our allies in the region and serious concern over China’s coercive actions against Taiwan and in the South China Sea,” she said.
Wang told Rubio that both China and US should implement the “important consensus” reached between the Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Trump, according to a Chinese government statement. Wang reiterated that Beijing would never allow Taiwan to be separated from the mainland, and warned the US to handle related matters carefully, according to the statement.
Trump won the US election in November after promising to slap massive tariffs on China and pledging to bring back American manufacturing jobs.
Rubio used his confirmation hearing earlier this month to accuse Beijing of hacking and stealing its way to super power status. A former longtime member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Rubio has been sanctioned by China for pushing legislation punishing China for human rights abuses in Hong Kong and Xinjiang.
