The talks, which lasted an hour according to Rubio's team, came just days after US President Donald Trump said he would host Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House toward the end of the year, notably to discuss trade issues.

Rubio and Wang met at a major hotel in the Bavarian capital, shaking hands but not speaking to reporters.

Washington and Beijing have been locked in a standoff over tariffs since Trump returned to power last year.

Rubio and Wang held a one-on-one meeting in Malaysia in July and have spoken several times by phone.

Rubio is set to hold a series of meetings, including Friday with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, before delivering a much-anticipated speech on Saturday.

The meeting comes as the CIA expanded a push to recruit spies with a new Chinese-language video released Thursday that seeks to target disaffected military officers.

Beijing said Friday it would take "all necessary measures" against foreign espionage attempts.