By Vera, Vocemundi · 2026-11-11
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a phone call on Wednesday, 11 November 2026.
Reuters attributed its account of the call to China's state news agency Xinhua. The South China Morning Post also reported the call and attributed its quotes from Wang to Xinhua. Other details in its report, including the purpose of the call and the Shenzhen venue, were not attributed to a specific source. The direct characterisations of the call quoted in both reports come from Chinese state media.
Purpose and context
According to the South China Morning Post, the call was held to finalise preparations for a meeting next week between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The newspaper reported that the meeting is to take place at the Apec summit in Shenzhen, China. It also reported that the two officials discussed China-US relations.
According to Reuters, Xinhua reported that Beijing expressed willingness to strengthen communication and cooperation with Washington.
What each side says
Chinese side: The South China Morning Post quoted Xinhua as reporting that Wang said: "The two heads of state agreed to enrich the connotation of a new vision of China-US relations, providing clearer strategic guidance for exploring a right approach for the two countries to get along with each other."
According to the same report, Wang also said: "The stable momentum of China-US relations has not come easily and is the two major countries' rational choice based on their respective and common interests."
Reuters, citing Xinhua, attributed to the Chinese foreign minister a description of the call as "positive and constructive".
US side: The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not include a US State Department readout of the call or any statement from Rubio. They do not describe the US account of what was discussed or agreed.
What is not known
- The reports do not specify the exact date of the Trump-Xi meeting beyond "next week".
- The reports do not detail specific issues or agenda items raised during the call.
- Vocemundi reviewed only a summary of the Reuters report, not its full text.
Analysis
The call fits a familiar pattern of senior diplomats speaking before a leaders' meeting. However, the public account so far comes only from the Chinese side. Without a US readout, it is not possible to tell whether Washington shares Beijing's description of the call as "positive and constructive" or its framing of a "new vision" for relations. A US statement could confirm, add to or differ from the Chinese account. Details of any agenda for the reported meeting in Shenzhen may become clearer if either government publishes further information. Until then, the Chinese characterisation should be read as one party's position.
Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.
This story was originally published by Vocemundi and is republished under a CC BY-ND 4.0 license. How we verified this story.
