China, US top diplomats discuss 'high-level interactions' in call, Beijing says

BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Reuters) - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday told US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a phone call that the two countries "should prepare well for the next stage of high-level interactions in the spirit of equality, respect and reciprocity," Wang's ministry said.

Head-of-state diplomacy serves as the anchor of China-US ties, Wang said, adding that the two sides should strengthen communication, advance cooperation, manage differences and respect each other's core interests.

The call came a week ahead of an expected visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to the US, with a meeting with President Donald Trump set to take place on September 24, Trump had said.

The official Chinese summary of the call fell short of explicitly confirming an upcoming meeting between Xi and Trump, but said Wang and Rubio "held in-depth discussions focused on high-level exchanges between the two countries."

The two top diplomats also discussed the situation in the Middle East, the Chinese foreign ministry said, a day after Wang hosted Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in Beijing for talks.

In his meeting with Araqchi on Wednesday, Wang encouraged Iran and the US to remain rational, exercise restraint, return to the interim peace deal they signed in June and "engage in substantive consultations," while calling for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.