Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi attends a press conference on China’s foreign policy and external relations on the occasion of the 4th Session of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC) to be held in Beijing, China on March 8, 2026.
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BEIJING – China’s top diplomat Wang Yi on Sunday emphasized the benefits of exchanges with the United States and hinted that preparations are underway for a planned summit between the two countries amid disagreements over the Iran war and trade tariffs.
“The agenda for high-level exchanges is already on the table,” Wang told reporters in Mandarin, according to an official translation. “What both countries need to do now is to prepare thoroughly accordingly, create the right environment, manage the risks that exist and eliminate unnecessary disruption.”
“If we turn our backs on each other, we will only invite mutual misunderstanding and miscalculation,” he said. “Plunging into conflict and confrontation will only drag the whole world down.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump have announced plans to visit each other’s countries after meeting face-to-face in South Korea in the fall.
President Trump is scheduled to visit China from March 31st to April 2nd, making this the first visit by a sitting US president since 2017.
However, the Chinese government has not yet confirmed the exact dates of President Trump’s visit. Although Wang did not elaborate, he noted that high-level exchanges between the U.S. and Chinese presidents “have become an important strategic safeguard for improving and advancing China-U.S. relations.”
Some analysts have questioned whether the trip will go ahead as planned, especially since it is likely to take place on the heels of the joint U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and the U.S. capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
Wang did not name either individual in remarks to reporters Sunday morning, but reiterated Beijing’s call for a ceasefire in the Iran conflict.
“This is a war that should never happen,” he said. “It’s a war that benefits no one.”
According to official statements, since the joint U.S.-Israel offensive against Iran began on February 28, Wang has held telephone talks with at least seven foreign ministers, including those of Russia, Iran, and Israel.
He spoke to reporters on Sunday on the sidelines of China’s eight-day annual parliamentary session, which is scheduled to conclude on Thursday. Top Chinese leaders, including President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang and Vice Premier He Lifeng, are meeting with delegations from across the country in Beijing.
Tariffs in question
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The bilateral talks come after the United States and China agreed in October to a fragile ceasefire that would reduce tariffs on each other’s products to below 50% for one year. Both countries gradually raised tariffs to well over 100% last spring as tensions escalated.
In response to a question about President Trump’s positioning of U.S.-China relations as a new “G2” to lead the world, Wang pushed back against the idea of doing so with just two countries, instead emphasizing multipolarity.
Wang did not mention the United States by name, but warned against “imposing tariff barriers or promoting economic and technological decoupling.”
“It’s no different than starting a kindling to put out a fire,” he says. “You’ll just get burned.”
