On July 11, 2025, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi amidst escalating trade tensions between the US and China, marking the first face-to-face meeting between the two foreign ministers.
According to reports from international media outlets, the meeting began around 3 p.m. local time. Prior to the closed-door meeting, Rubio and Wang did not shake hands in front of the cameras and did not make any public comments.
Rubio’s visit to Asia, his first since taking office, included attending the East Asia Summit and the ASEAN Regional Forum in Kuala Lumpur, where he engaged with officials from Japan, China, South Korea, Russia, Australia, India, the European Union, and Southeast Asian countries.
At the time of the meeting, Washington had announced a new round of tariffs on multiple Asian countries. President Trump announced tariffs of 25% on Japan, South Korea, and Malaysia, 30% on Sri Lanka, 32% on Indonesia, 36% on Thailand and Cambodia, and up to 40% on Myanmar and Laos. The Philippines and Vietnam maintained a 20% tariff, the lowest known tariff rates among ASEAN countries.
Beijing warned that if the US reinstates high tariffs on Chinese goods next month, China will take retaliatory measures and threaten retaliation against countries cooperating with the US and attempting to exclude China from the supply chain.
Both sides have not yet issued a public statement regarding the meeting.
Earlier this year, China initially faced tariffs of over 100%, but reached a ceasefire agreement with the US at a Geneva meeting in May. They are hoping to reach an agreement with the White House before the August deadline to avoid Trump reinstating high tariffs.
Rubio emphasized during his visit that the US will continue to strengthen its strategic focus on the Indo-Pacific region and not be distracted by conflicts in the Middle East or Europe. He reiterated to ASEAN partners that the US remains a more reliable partner than China.
During his time in Kuala Lumpur, Wang Yi strongly criticized the US tariff policy as “unilateral bullying behavior,” which disrupts the global trade order and supply chain stability, intending to deprive Southeast Asian countries of their legitimate development rights.
On the same day, Rubio also held trilateral talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Takashi Iwaya and South Korean First Vice Minister Park Jun-chul, focusing on regional security, supply chain resilience, energy cooperation, trusted digital infrastructure, and reaffirming the three countries’ “indispensable partnership.”
Officials from the Philippines told Reuters that Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is set to meet with Trump in Washington later this month to discuss tariff issues.
Rubio also told the media on Thursday that he is likely to raise concerns about China’s support for Russia’s military actions with Wang Yi.
He stated, “China (the Chinese Communist Party) has clearly been supporting Russia’s actions, and I think they have been trying their best to assist Russia while avoiding being caught.”