Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a longtime China hawk, expressed concern about Beijing’s coercive behavior against Taiwan and aggression in the South China Sea in his first formal call with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday,

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke with new U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday and Beijing said he told the known China hawk that the direction and tone of U.S.-China ties had been set by their leaders and he hoped Rubio would play a constructive role for the good of the people of both countries.