The foreign ministers of the United States and China have held a telephone conversation about a week ahead of a bilateral summit.

According to China's state-run Xinhua News Agency on the 17th (local time), Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (who also serves as the director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs) and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke by phone that day and discussed high-level exchanges between the two countries in depth.

According to the report, Minister Wang said, "Overall, China-U.S. relations have advanced along the constructive and strategically stable trajectory established by the leaders of the two countries," adding, "This helps meet the expectations of the international community."

He went on to urge, "The two sides must well-prepare for upcoming high-level exchanges in the spirit of equality, respect, and mutual benefit, while strengthening communication, promoting cooperation, managing differences, and respecting each other's core interests."

Xinhua reported that the two sides also exchanged views on the situation in the Middle East and other issues.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)