Top US, China officials pledge to make Xi-Trump summit a success

China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi spoke by phone with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Sunday to make sure the first meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump later this week will be a “complete success”.

Yang told Tillerson the summit at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Thursday and Friday was the “the top priority” for the two countries, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.

The meeting “has significant meaning for developing China-US relations in the new era as well as promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region, or even the whole world”, Yang was quoted as telling Tillerson.

“We hope both sides can make efforts in the same direction ... to ensure the summit between the two leaders is a complete success,” Yang said.

The comments from Yang, who is the main official organising the summit from China’s side, came after Trump delivered tough messages ahead of his meeting with Xi.