Rubio Stresses ‘America First’ in Call With China’s Wang Yi

  • Wang says he hopes secretary of state will make right decision
  • US official expresses concern about China’s coercive behavior

Marco Rubio

Photographer: Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg

Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed concern about Beijing’s coercive behavior against Taiwan and aggression in the South China Sea in his first formal call with Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday, while the Chinese minister said he hoped the newly confirmed US official would make the right decision.

Rubio emphasized to Wang that the new US administration would pursue a relationship with China that “advances U.S. interests and puts the American people first,” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said in a statement on Friday.