Tillerson lauds China US contacts in meeting with leader Xi

Tillerson said Trump looked forward to “the opportunity of a visit in the future,” an apparent reference to unconfirmed reports of plans for Trump and Xi to meet in Florida next month. (Photo: William Munoz/Flickr)erso

BEIJING –U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says the U.S. is looking forward to the first meeting between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

In talks with Xi in Beijing on Sunday, Tillerson said Trump places a “very high value” on communications with the Chinese president via phone calls and exchanges of letters.

Tillerson said Trump looked forward to “the opportunity of a visit in the future,” an apparent reference to unconfirmed reports of plans for Trump and Xi to meet in Florida next month.

Tillerson has struck a cordial tone during his meetings in Beijing, the last stop in a tour of Asia that also included visits to Japan and South Korea. His trip has been dominated by concerns over North Korea’s missile and nuclear weapons program.