US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the likelihood of a summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping is “high.” He made the statement after talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang in Kuala Lumpur on Friday during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit. According to Rubio, the meeting was “very constructive and positive,” although there are still issues on which the US and China have differing positions.

“Obviously, there are issues that we need to work through, and that's natural for countries with this kind of weight and influence in the world,” Rubio told reporters.

“But the meeting was really constructive and gave us specific areas where we can work together.”

This was the first face-to-face meeting between the heads of the US and Chinese diplomatic missions since Rubio was appointed secretary of state in January this year.

Rubio stressed that the key message from the US is to find opportunities for strategic stability between the two countries, identify areas for cooperation, and build more effective dialogue and trust.

Responding to a question about the prospects for a meeting between Trump and Xi Jinping, Rubio said: “The likelihood is high, but both sides need to create the right atmosphere and agree on concrete outcomes. There is a strong desire on both sides to have this meeting. There is no date yet, but I think it will happen. It will take place.”