U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke on Wednesday with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on global and regional issues, in a follow-up to the meeting the two held in Malaysia this year, State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott said.
"Secretary Rubio emphasized the importance of open and constructive communication on a range of bilateral issues," Pigott said in a statement. "They also discussed other global and regional issues as a continuation of the discussions in Kuala Lumpur."
Rubio met Wang in July on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum in Malaysia, in a meeting both sides described as positive and constructive, despite tensions over U.S. tariffs.
Rubio said at the time that the odds of U.S. President Donald Trump meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping were high.
The Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement that both sides saw the latest conversation as "timely, necessary and fruitful".