In his meeting with Daines on Thursday, China’s top diplomat said Beijing and Washington should seek “harmony without uniformity” and be “partners rather than adversaries”.

“The US should view China objectively, develop a rational perception of China, genuinely respect China’s core interests and properly manage differences,” Wang told Daines.

“Beijing would work with Washington to implement the consensus reached by the two leaders and truly stabilise and improve Sino-US relations,” Wang said, adding that they should jointly explore the right way for two major powers to get along.

Daines, a Republican from Montana and close Trump ally, is leading a five-member delegation visiting Shanghai and Beijing just days before the American leader’s rescheduled trip to Beijing.

If held on May 14 and 15 as planned, the summit would mark the first time a US president has travelled to China in more than eight years and Trump’s first foreign trip since the US-Israel war on Iran began on February 28.