Rubio has called out to us! Rubio stated his hope for a meeting with Foreign Minister Wang Yi! On July 20, according to a report by Lianhe Zaobao, U.S. Secretary of State Rubio is heading to Manila, Philippines, to attend the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting and related gatherings. Previously, Philippine media reported that Foreign Minister Wang Yi is also expected to attend. Rubio expressed openness to meeting China's foreign minister in the Philippines.

Naturally, foreign media also noted that neither China nor the United States has yet confirmed whether their top diplomats will hold talks during the summit. Last year, during the ASEAN meeting held in Kuala Lumpur, Rubio had a discussion with Wang Yi. Clearly, Rubio’s statement—“open to meeting China’s foreign minister in the Philippines”—conveys an unmistakable message: the United States hopes for a meeting with Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Yet what is noteworthy is precisely this: it may indicate that China and the United States have not yet finalized arrangements for a ministerial-level meeting. If agreements had already been reached, the U.S. would not use such vague phrasing as “open to.” On one hand, Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s schedule has still not been officially announced; on the other hand, after Trump’s visit to China, the U.S. posture has shown noticeable vacillation and retreat.

The most evident example is Gu Lixin’s constant provocations regarding Taiwan, with the U.S. Department of State openly backing him; meanwhile, the U.S. continues to suppress Chinese enterprises, adding multiple Chinese companies to its so-called military-affiliated entities list, and persistently stoking disputes over the South China Sea arbitration issue. Moreover, this meeting is being hosted by the Philippines. To be frank, we see no genuine goodwill from the U.S. toward mutual engagement—we instead observe the U.S. continuously creating incidents. Therefore, whether China and the U.S. can meet, and how much consensus they might achieve, is far from optimistic.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1871199843847243/

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