The conspicuous absence of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio from preparations for the much-anticipated phone call between Chinese and US leaders – and from subsequent trade talk announcements – has raised questions about his influence in shaping bilateral ties.
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US President Donald Trump on Thursday described his 90-minute conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping as “very positive”, and announced on his social media platform that US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer would head future negotiations with China.
Observers said the call, following a 90-day truce last month, rekindled hopes of cooling heightened US-China tensions over tariffs and global supplies of rare earth minerals, placing trade talks as the most pressing and dominating issue for bilateral ties in the near future.
They noted a shift in Washington’s approach to China, driven largely by economic pragmatism and Trump’s preference for personal deal-making, while some said it signalled Rubio’s diminished role in US-China ties.
In the past, direct engagements between US and Chinese leaders were usually preceded by groundwork involving China’s top diplomats and their US counterparts, namely, the secretary of state or the national security adviser.
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Regular face-to-face dialogue between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is also Xi’s top foreign policy aide, and former national security adviser Jake Sullivan and former US secretary of state Antony Blinken helped set the stage for Xi’s multiple meetings and calls with Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden.