China’s foreign minister Wang Yi, the country’s top diplomat, on Saturday warned against what he described as “knee-jerk” calls to sever economic and supply-chain ties between China and the United States, urging a more “positive and pragmatic” approach to bilateral relations.
Speaking at the 2026 Munich Security Conference in Germany, Wang said cooperation, rather than abrupt disengagement, would produce the best outcome for both nations and the wider global economy. He acknowledged recent encouraging signals from the White House but said some voices in the U.S. were undermining efforts to stabilise the relationship.
Wang met U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday in what U.S. officials described as a “positive and constructive” session ahead of a planned visit to Beijing by President Donald Trump in April.
Relations between Washington and Beijing have experienced tensions over trade, tariffs and concerns about dependency on Chinese supply chains, prompting calls in some political circles to “decouple”, a process that would involve breaking economic and technological links between the two powers.
Wang warned that such a strategy, pursued in a “purely emotional, knee-jerk way,” could involve severing supply chains and opposing China across the board, heightening the risk of conflict. He also criticised efforts by some to challenge China on sensitive issues, saying they risked pushing the U.S. and China toward confrontation.
While advocating mutual understanding, Wang said China is prepared to address a range of potential risks should tensions escalate.