U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit he discussed with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi the need to identify areas of cooperation to lay the groundwork for a “very positive visit” by President Xi Jinping to Washington in September, Reuters reports.

He added that both sides have disagreements, but their task is to resolve them and prevent the situation from getting out of control.

“There are major disagreements. Both sides acknowledge this. We will have to overcome them, and I think these disagreements will remain for the foreseeable future.

We will certainly always defend our national interests, and I expect they will do the same, but I think there are also areas of potential cooperation,” he added.

Rubio said that allegations of election interference were not discussed with Wang.

He noted that issues concerning Taiwan and trade with China, as well as bilateral matters, were discussed, and added that it is important for both countries to be able to maintain dialogue despite their differences.

Rubio said that Washington views Beijing’s actions as running counter to the strategic stability both sides seek.

Earlier, he criticized Beijing’s actions in the South China Sea, saying that U.S. regional allies had faced “new and coercive threats.”