Will Marco Rubio Meet China’s Wang Yi? What to Watch at ASEAN

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he is open to meeting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) foreign ministers’ meetings in Manila, although he said no meeting has been “definitively arranged.”

The meetings, which will take place in Manila, the host of the ASEAN chair this year, will involve foreign ministers from all Indo-Pacific countries as tensions mount in the region.

The gathering, if it occurs, would be the third in-person meeting between Rubio and Wang since the Trump administration took office and a chance for Washington and Beijing to tend to increasingly tense relations.

Wang’s visit to Manila on Wednesday and Thursday will come as a relief to the Filipino public. Both sides have held constructive talks, albeit with some differences, since the last two meetings in July 2025 in Kuala Lumpur during the concluding day of the ASEAN summit and in February 2026 in Munich.

South China Sea, Myanmar and Energy Security Lead Agenda

The 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on July 21 includes consultations on ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus, the bloc’s framework aimed at resolving Myanmar’s ongoing political crisis.

Post-ministerial talks between ASEAN and major dialogue partners such as the United States, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Russia and the European Union during the next couple of days.

The event culminates with celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation on July 24.

According to the U.S. State Department, Rubio will travel to Manila from July 19-23 to participate in the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference, the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and ASEAN Regional Forum Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.

Rubio is also expected to meet Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., with maritime security and the disputed South China Sea likely to feature prominently in their discussions.

Regional leaders will also be expected to discuss the effects of the recent U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, which has led to an increase in oil prices, fuel supply worries and trade disruption in Southeast Asia.

ASEAN is a large energy-importing region with a gross domestic product of approximately $3.8 trillion, and is considering various options to enhance energy security, such as an oil-sharing mechanism.

Rubio Sharpens U.S. Position on Regional Security

Rubio soon published an opinion article in Philippine media to reiterate Washington’s pledge of freedom of navigation and defense pledges in Southeast Asia.

Without naming China directly, Rubio warned against any country using maritime trade routes for geopolitical leverage.

“This freedom is by no means guaranteed. If these waters were to fall under the control of a power willing to use trade as a geopolitical weapon, both the United States and the ASEAN states would face serious new threats to their sovereignty, security, and economic future,” Rubio wrote.

Separately, the U.S. State Department on Tuesday condemned what it described as China’s “dangerous and aggressive actions” following a recent confrontation involving Philippine maritime forces in the South China Sea. The department said China’s actions undermine regional peace and stability.

Beijing has consistently asserted historic rights to its territory in the South China Sea, which it has denied to Washington and some Southeast Asian countries, while criticizing the other side for “provoking its neighbors.”

U.S.-China Tensions Frame Potential Talks

President Donald Trump has charged Beijing with trying to meddle in U.S. elections days before the ASEAN meetings. Rubio has also charged China in the past with assisting Russia in rebuilding its military-industrial base in the conflict in Ukraine.

Previous talks between Rubio and Wang have focused on keeping lines of communication open, despite those disagreements. Both sides agreed to consider “areas of potential cooperation” in their discussions of the matter and that they would work on the differences during their talks in Kuala Lumpur scheduled for 2025.

Whether the two diplomats hold another meeting in Manila may offer an early indication of whether Washington and Beijing remain willing to sustain high-level dialogue as regional security challenges continue to mount.