US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi are slated to meet face-to-face for the first time this Friday in Malaysia, at a time of heightened tensions over trade policies, defence spending, and global conflicts.
Their meeting is scheduled on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting taking place in Kuala Lumpur. While neither the United States nor China are ASEAN members, both have intensified diplomatic efforts to strengthen ties with Southeast Asian nations, many of which remain wary of aligning too closely with either side.
Rubio’s visit marks his first official trip to Asia since becoming secretary of state under President Trump, whose administration recently announced steep new tariffs on multiple countries and has urged allied nations to boost their defence budgets.
According to Rubio’s official itinerary, the meeting with Wang Yi is expected to take place late Friday afternoon. The discussion is likely to cover several contentious issues, including Beijing’s stance on the war in Ukraine.
On Thursday, Rubio made clear he intends to raise concerns about China’s relationship with Moscow. “The Chinese clearly have been supportive of the Russian effort. I think, generally, they’ve been willing to help as much as possible without attracting too much attention,” Rubio commented after meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Known for his critical view of China during his years as a Republican senator, Rubio remains on a Chinese sanctions list after being blacklisted by Beijing in 2020. His last direct conversation with Wang occurred in January over the phone, soon after taking office.
As both sides prepare for the high-level dialogue, the meeting could signal whether Washington and Beijing can find any common ground—or if geopolitical and economic rifts will continue to deepen.
