Wednesday, 27 May 2026
Rubio meets with China’s Foreign Minister as trade tensions escalate
KUALA LUMPUR – U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, as both countries sought to advance their interests in Asia amid growing tensions sparked by Washington’s aggressive tariff measures.
Rubio, on his inaugural trip to Asia since assuming office, is participating in the East Asia Summit and ASEAN Regional Forum alongside representatives from Japan, China, South Korea, Russia, Australia, India, the European Union, and Southeast Asian nations, Reuters reported.
This meeting comes against a backdrop of intensifying global friction over U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff hikes. Just this week, Beijing issued a warning against the United States reimposing substantial duties on Chinese exports next month.
In response, China has threatened to retaliate against countries that collaborate with the U.S. to exclude China from supply chains.
Rubio’s visit underscores Washington’s renewed commitment to the Indo-Pacific, aiming to refocus U.S. diplomatic attention on the region after prolonged engagement with Middle Eastern and European conflicts under the Trump administration.
However, his diplomatic efforts have been overshadowed by this week’s announcement of sweeping U.S. tariffs targeting numerous Asian nations and American allies, including a 25% levy on goods from Japan, South Korea, and Malaysia; 32% on Indonesia; 36% on Thailand and Cambodia; and 40% on Myanmar and Laos.
Analysts believe Rubio is intent on reinforcing the message that the United States is a more reliable partner than China – its primary strategic competitor. On Friday, the State Department confirmed Rubio met separately with officials from Thailand, Cambodia, and Indonesia.
On Thursday, Rubio assured Southeast Asian foreign ministers that the Indo-Pacific remains central to U.S. foreign policy.
China, slammed with initial tariffs exceeding 100%, has until August 12 to broker an agreement with the Trump administration to avoid the reimposition of additional trade restrictions set during the tit-for-tat tariff battles earlier this year.
In Kuala Lumpur, Wang delivered a blistering critique of U.S. policies, describing the tariffs to Malaysia’s foreign minister as “classic unilateral bullying” – a stance, Beijing insisted, that no country should endorse or accept.
Speaking with Thailand’s foreign minister, Wang asserted that such tariffs have been exploited, undermining global free trade and disrupting the stability of international production and supply chains. In talks with his Cambodian counterpart, he denounced the U.S. measures as an attempt to deny Southeast Asian nations their legitimate rights to economic development.
“We are confident that Southeast Asian countries possess the strength to navigate complex situations, uphold their principles, and protect their interests,” Wang stated, according to China’s foreign ministry.
Meanwhile, the Philippines’ foreign secretary told Reuters that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is scheduled to meet President Trump in Washington later this month, with agenda items including the increased U.S. tariff on the former American colony.
Neither Rubio nor Wang spoke publicly at the outset of their hour-long meeting on Friday, which marked their first face-to-face discussion since Rubio took office in January.
A day prior, Rubio pledged to raise U.S. concerns about China’s support for Russia amid the Ukraine conflict, noting that Beijing has “been willing to help them as much as they can without getting caught.”