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The Secretary of State of the United States Marco Rubio met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi at a meeting of foreign ministers of Southeast Asia, to discuss how to resolve the conflict between the two countries before the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Xi Jinping of China.
The meeting on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting of foreign ministers in Manila on Wednesday came amid tensions over China’s role in the South China Sea dispute and the US’s war against Iran. ASEAN countries have he expressed both of his concerns at the meeting.
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Relations between Washington and Beijing have also been strained by Trump cases that China interfered with In the US election, which Beijing rejected as “fake”.
Rubio said the US and China have “deep differences” that could continue “in the future”, but he and Wang discussed the need to resolve these differences to ensure Xi has a “good visit” to the US. Xi is He is expected to visit in September.
Wang said the US should “respect China’s demands… effectively deal with tensions and tensions, and address China’s concerns”, according to a summary of their China meeting. It described the talks as “pragmatic, positive and constructive”.
The two sides agreed to “fully prepare for the next phase of high-level exchanges,” China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
‘Commerce as a geopolitical tool’
Wednesday’s meeting came two days after the confrontation between the ships of China and the Philippines in the South China Sea left a Filipino sailor injured, prompting the two countries to summon each other’s ambassadors.
This week’s event took place on Monday at Second Thomas Shoal. The Philippines said that the Chinese coast guard hit one of the Filipino sailors on the head with a wooden stick, while China said that the Philippine navy was the first to attack and blamed Philippine ships for destroying a Chinese naval vessel.
Rubio said the dispute did not benefit anyone, adding that Washington had reiterated in all its meetings that it was bound by the security agreement to represent Manila.
“We want to live up to what we have done in the agreement, and I think we have, and we will continue to do so,” he said.
Rubio’s comments echo sentiments he published in Philippine newspapers on Tuesday about Beijing’s behavior in the South China Sea. Rubio warned of “new dangers” if the water “falls under the control of a power ready to use trade as a geopolitical tool”.
Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea through a line on its map that runs through the economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, and is at the center of a long-running dispute over many of the islands.
Tensions between the Philippines and China have escalated in recent years as Manila takes a more assertive stance while pursuing stronger ties with the US, Australia and Japan.
The US has increased military spending in the Philippines to $100mn in 2026 and is providing an additional $9mn to expand the defense complex on the island of Palawan “to improve the Philippines’ legal infrastructure and advance operations in the South China Sea”, the State Department said.
Discussing US relations with ASEAN member states, Rubio said the security and development of the US and Southeast Asia were closely related.
He said: “I strongly believe that the future and the story of the 1900s will be written in this area and how things will be here.”
Iran “not interested in negotiations”, says Rubio
Rubio as well discussed with Iran in a meeting with ASEAN foreign ministers, saying that Tehran was responsible for the recent escalation.
“The problem we are facing right now is that they are not sure what to talk about,” said Rubio. If they are sure, we are sure. If they are not, then we will do what we can to protect our interests and those of our partners.”
The US has protested against Iran eleven consecutive nightsincluding targeting roads, bridges and power lines in recent attacks, all but derailing the peace deal agreed between the two sides last month.
Rubio stressed that Iran would not be allowed to control the Strait of Hormuz, because it could be a dangerous example for other parts of the world.
The US ambassador also confirmed that he would meet on Thursday with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov to discuss the conflict in Ukraine, saying Washington remained open to working with him to help resolve the conflict.
