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Chinese, US top diplomats, defense chiefs hold phone talks

Global Times

Washington urged to exercise caution on issues concerning China's core interests

By Global Times Published: Sep 11, 2025 09:29 AM

In the latest phone call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that in this new era, China and the US should work together for world peace and prosperity, tackle global challenges and shoulder their due responsibilities as major countries.

Wang said to ensure that the two giant ships of China and the US move forward together without deviating from their courses or losing speed, it is necessary to adhere to the strategic guidance of the two heads of state and to implement the important consensus reached by them without compromise.

The recent negative words and deeds from the US side have undermined China's legitimate rights and interests, interfered in China's internal affairs, and are detrimental to the improvement and development of China-US relations, said Wang, noting that China clearly opposes such behaviors.

He urged the US to exercise caution in its words and actions, especially on issues concerning China's core interests such as Taiwan.

China and the US once fought side by side during World War II to defeat militarism and fascism, while in this new era, the two sides should work together for world peace and prosperity, tackle global challenges and shoulder their due responsibilities as major countries, said Wang.

Both sides believed that the call was timely, necessary and fruitful, and stressed the need to further leverage the strategic leading role of head-of-state diplomacy in China-US relations, properly manage differences, explore practical cooperation, and promote the stable development of bilateral relations, according to the readout.

The phone call between the Chinese and US top diplomats came as the defense chiefs of the two countries held a video talk on Wednesday.

Some Chinese experts said the latest calls between the senior Chinese and US officials can be seen as a continuation and implementation of the outcomes of the phone call between the Chinese and US leaders on June 5. The clear message from the Chinese side is the hope that the US will effectively carry forward and implement the consensus reached by the two leaders, so as to maintain the overall stability of China-US relations, observers said.

With the US signing new trade arrangements with other countries, coupled with pressure on China against the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and a series of questions including Taiwan, negative factors have become more prominent, Diao Daming, a professor at the Renmin University of China in Beijing, told the Global Times on Thursday.

"Under such circumstances, it is all the more necessary for both sides to work together to effectively manage these destabilizing elements and create favorable conditions for possible future high-level engagement," Diao said.

Building constructive relations

Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun held a video talk with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday. Dong said that it is imperative to uphold an open attitude, maintain communication and engagement, and build a sound, stable China-US military relationship that is based on equality, respect and peaceful coexistence.

Dong stressed the importance of respecting each other's core interests, stating that any attempts to "use military force to support independence" or "use Taiwan to contain China" are doomed to fail.

Dong's remarks were essentially a warning to the US not to stir up trouble in the Taiwan Straits or the South China Sea, while Wang made it clear that the US' recent series of irresponsible words and actions on the Taiwan question has undermined stability across the Straits and that Washington must bear the corresponding responsibility, Lü Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday.

"The two conversations drew red lines for the US on both the military and political levels. Without respecting these red lines, there can be no constructive dialogue," Lü said.

The expert also believed that this type of political-level communication serves two purposes: on the one hand, it broadens the scope of negotiations beyond trade and economic issues; on the other hand, it reminds the US not to harbor illusions about leveraging geopolitical frictions to gain bargaining chips in trade talks.

In a short statement on Wednesday, the US State Department said Rubio spoke with Wang, emphasizing the importance of open and constructive communication on a range of bilateral issues. They also discussed other global and regional issues as a continuation of the discussions held recently in Kuala Lumpur, according to the statement.

Wang has met with Rubio in July on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Thursday, that China's statement serves both as a warning against the US' erroneous actions and as a guide for building a constructive China-US relationship, outlining basic principles for such cooperation.

This conversation conveyed a clear message: For China-US relations to remain stable and mutually beneficial, the US must respect China's core interests, especially regarding the Taiwan question, Li said.

"Recently, a series of moves by the US, including visits by congressional members to Taiwan and military interactions with Taiwan, have seriously undermined China's core interests and triggered dissatisfaction. As a result, China reiterated during the conversation that managing China-US relations must involve clear boundaries and red lines," he said.

"Frankly, we don't expect Washington to do 'good deeds', but at the very least it should not do 'bad ones'," Lü said.

"The US is well aware of China's core concerns; the list is not long, but each item is crucial. If Washington can respect China's sovereignty, security, and development interests and engage on an equal footing, then China-US relations can move forward," Lü added.

China always follows the principle of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and mutually beneficial cooperation to handle and grow its relations with the US, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said in a recent press conference.

"We will also firmly safeguard our sovereignty, security and development interests. We hope the US will work with us to jointly promote the steady, sound and sustainable development of bilateral ties," Guo said.

Li Yu contributed to the story