US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the media. (AP)

China hopes the United States can meet it halfway to “prepare for high-level interactions” between the two countries, foreign minister Wang Yi told US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a phone call on Monday, China’s foreign ministry said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump have “long-standing exchanges and respect each other”, Wang said, calling Xi and Trump’s relationship “the most valuable strategic asset in China-U.S. relations,” according to the ministry.

The call came ahead of an expected meeting between Xi and Trump in South Korea on Thursday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit.The Chinese readout of Monday’s call stopped short of directly confirming the two woul

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