Wang Yi and Marco Rubio held a call on Wednesday that China described as “positive and constructive,” signaling a push to deepen communication and cooperation ahead of the APEC leaders’ meeting in Shenzhen.

It was their first publicly announced conversation since the U.S. midterm elections the previous week, in which Republicans suffered a crushing defeat.

Wang stressed direct dialogue and mutual respect to prevent strategic competition from escalating into open confrontation.

The broader dialogue brought together U.S. political, strategic and business representatives and Chinese government and local officials, think tanks, universities and public organizations, who exchanged frank views on bilateral ties and regional and global developments.

The Chinese readout did not mention trade terms, export controls or Taiwan, and the U.S. State Department had not issued its own account of the call by publication time.

China urged both sides to compromise on unresolved trade and technology disputes and favor political negotiations over unilateral steps or escalatory rhetoric.

China also called for discussions on global challenges, including regulatory frameworks and standards for the rapid development of artificial intelligence.

Earlier Trump-Xi summits this year helped stabilize relations but left major disputes unresolved, including tariffs, Chinese purchases of U.S. goods, rare-earth exports and technology restrictions; in September, the countries extended their trade truce by two months.

At a National Committee on US-China Relations gala in New York on Tuesday, Xie Feng urged both sides to implement the leaders’ September consensus and accelerate practical cooperation through political, diplomatic, economic and trade channels.

Scott Bessent said cooperation could strengthen both economies without perpetuating imbalances, adding that the U.S. administration’s focus on economic strength did not signal hostility toward trading partners.

The exchanges fueled speculation that the diplomats had arranged a bilateral meeting between their leaders during the APEC summit.

Trump said possible discussions with Xi and Putin could address ending the war in Iran and nuclear disarmament, while The Wall Street Journal reported that Putin proposed discussing an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.