Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged the US to handle matters related to Taiwan with "the utmost caution", during a phone call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday, Wang's ministry said on Wednesday. "A slight move on the Taiwan issue could affect the whole situation," Wang said, adding that China and the US should work to manage all kinds of risks, according to an official Chinese summary of the phone conversation. The US State Department did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The call followed a mid-May summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump in Beijing, where Xi told Trump that mishandling the countries' disagreements over Taiwan could push China-US relations into an "extremely dangerous place". Beijing claims the democratically governed island as its own territory and refuses to rule out military force to gain control of it. Taipei rejects Beijing's claims, and the United States is bound by law to provide Taipei with the means to defend itself. Wang said the US and China should work to build a "constructive, strategically stable relationship". "Both sides should eliminate disruptions, overcome obstacles, and continue firmly along this correct direction," Wang said. The Chinese foreign ministry said Wang and Rubio agreed to "continue maintaining communication in a flexible manner".
