Rubio met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, marking the first in-person meeting between the top diplomats of the two countries as they work to navigate ongoing trade tensions and geopolitical competition in Asia.

“The odds are high,” Rubio told journalists in Kuala Lumpur. “I think both sides want to see it happen,” he added. Rubio said he could not provide a specific date for the meeting but emphasised there was a “strong desire on both sides to do it,” CNN reported.

Kuala Lumpur: There is a “high probability” that US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet this year, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday, according to CNN.

According to CNN, the hour-long meeting was described by Rubio as “very constructive” and “positive.”

“We’re two big, powerful countries, and there are always going to be issues that we disagree on,” Rubio said. “I thought it was (a) very constructive, positive meeting, and (there’s) a lot of work to do,” he told reporters, as quoted by CNN.

Both leaders were in the Malaysian capital for regional meetings involving foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and partners including Russia, Japan, South Korea, and Australia. Rubio’s visit marks his first trip to Asia as Secretary of State, CNN noted.

The US and China have experienced fluctuating trade relations since Trump returned to office earlier this year, escalating into a tit-for-tat tariff dispute. The two nations reached a trade framework during negotiations in London last month, easing tensions for a 90-day pause set to expire in August.

CNN reported that US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent plans to meet Chinese officials in the coming weeks to continue talks.

Rubio said the meeting with Wang allowed both sides to identify areas of potential cooperation. “That was our message – that (we have) the opportunity here to achieve some strategic stability and identify areas where we can cooperate together on and build better communications and a working trust,” he stated, according to CNN.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry also called the meeting “positive, pragmatic and constructive” in a statement after Rubio’s comments, CNN reported. The ministry said both sides agreed to “strengthen diplomatic channels and communication and dialogue at all levels in all fields.”

Wang also urged the US to view China with an “objective, rational and pragmatic attitude” and to treat it in an “equal” manner.

During the media interaction, Rubio pushed back on concerns that US tariffs may open economic opportunities for China in the region.

“We’re resetting tariff levels with virtually every country in the world,” he said. “We don’t view this as an opening for anyone. We don’t view it that way. We view it as an opportunity to reset global trade in a way that’s fair for Americans after two or three decades of unfairness,” CNN quoted him as saying.

Rubio added that the US remains committed to advancing a “free, open and secure Indo-Pacific region.” He also addressed longstanding trade imbalances, stating, “We’re committed to addressing tremendous trade imbalances… unfair to America and American workers.” In 2024, the US recorded a $295 billion goods trade deficit with China, CNN noted.

Wang, meanwhile, reinforced China’s message of being a stable regional economic partner, particularly to ASEAN nations, even as friction persists with countries like the Philippines over the South China Sea, CNN added.

This report is auto-generated from ANI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.

Also Read: Why the US can devastate everyone and still emerge stronger

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday asserted that there is a “high probability” that US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet this year, CNN said in a report.

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‘The odds are high’

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While talking to journalists in Kuala Lumpur, Rubio said, “The odds are high. I think both sides want to see it happen.”

The US secretary of state said he could not provide a specific date for the meeting but emphasised there was a “strong desire on both sides to do it,” CNN reported.

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Rubio met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi

He met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, marking the first in-person meeting between the top diplomats of the two countries as they work to navigate ongoing trade tensions and geopolitical competition in Asia.

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According to CNN, the hour-long meeting was described by Rubio as “very constructive” and “positive.”

“We’re two big, powerful countries, and there are always going to be issues that we disagree on,” Rubio said. “I thought it was (a) very constructive, positive meeting, and (there’s) a lot of work to do,” he told reporters, as quoted by CNN.

Rubio’s visit marks his first trip to Asia

Both leaders were in the Malaysian capital for regional meetings involving foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and partners including Russia, Japan, South Korea, and Australia. Rubio’s visit marks his first trip to Asia as Secretary of State, CNN noted.

The US and China have experienced fluctuating trade relations since Trump returned to office earlier this year, escalating into a tit-for-tat tariff dispute. The two nations reached a trade framework during negotiations in London last month, easing tensions for a 90-day pause set to expire in August.

US Treasury Secretary plans to meet Chinese officials

CNN reported that US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent plans to meet Chinese officials in the coming weeks to continue talks.

Rubio said the meeting with Wang allowed both sides to identify areas of potential cooperation. “That was our message – that (we have) the opportunity here to achieve some strategic stability and identify areas where we can cooperate together on and build better communications and a working trust,” he stated, according to CNN.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi during the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers? meeting and related meetings at the Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur on July 11, 2025. MANDEL NGAN/Pool via REUTERS Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

Item 1 of 2 US Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi during the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers? meeting and related meetings at the Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur on July 11, 2025. MANDEL NGAN/Pool via REUTERS

Summary

Companies Rubio makes first Asia trip amid tariffs angst

Wang meeting to establish baseline for more talks, Rubio says

Wang tells Southeast Asian counterparts US tariffs are abusive

‘I think it’s coming’ Rubio says of Trump-Xi meeting

ASEAN ministers say tariffs troublesome, need to diversify trade

KUALA LUMPUR, July 11 (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday he had “positive and constructive” talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, as the two major powers vied to push their agendas in Asia at a time of tension over Washington’s tariff offensive

The top U.S. diplomat was in Malaysia on his first Asia trip since taking office, seeking to stress the U.S. commitment to the region at the East Asia Summit and ASEAN Regional Forum, where many countries were reeling from a raft of steep U.S. tariffs announced by U.S. President Donald Trump this week.

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Rubio had his first in-person talks with China’s foreign minister, which came after Beijing warned Washington against reinstating hefty levies on its goods next month and threatened retaliation against nations that strike deals with the U.S. to cut China out of supply chains.

Wang sharply criticised Washington during talks with Asian counterparts in Malaysia, calling the U.S. tariffs “typical unilateral bullying behavior”.

But both sides described their bilateral meeting as positive and constructive on Friday. And Rubio said the odds of Trump meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping were high.

“We’re two big, powerful countries, and there are always going to be issues that we disagree on. I think there’s some areas of potential cooperation and I thought it was a very constructive, positive meeting, and a lot of work to do,” he told reporters.

Rubio emphasised that his sit-down with Wang was not a negotiation, but rather about establishing a constructive baseline to continue talks.

Rubio noted Trump had been invited to visit China, and added: “It’s a visit he wants to undertake, and so we’ll work on finding the right date for that, but I’m sure it’ll happen because the president – both presidents – want it to happen.”

“We have to build the right atmosphere and build … deliverables, so that a visit isn’t just a visit, but it actually has some takeaways from it that are concrete,” he said.

China’s Foreign Ministry said Wang had emphasised that both countries should translate consensus reached by their leaders into policies and actions.

“Both sides agreed that the meeting was positive, pragmatic and constructive,” it said.

TRIP OVERSHADOWED BY TARIFFS

Rubio’s visit was part of an effort to renew U.S. focus on the Indo-Pacific region and look beyond conflicts in the Middle East and Europe that have consumed much of the administration’s attention since Trump’s return to office in January.

But this was overshadowed by this week’s announcement of steep U.S. tariffs on imports from many Asian countries and U.S. allies, including 25% targeting Japan, South Korea and Malaysia, 32% for Indonesia, 36% for Thailand and Cambodia and 40% on goods from Myanmar and Laos.

China, initially singled out with levies exceeding 100%, has until August 12 to reach a deal with Washington to avoid Trump’s reinstating additional import curbs imposed during tit-for-tat tariff exchanges in April and May.

Analysts said Rubio would use the trip to press the case that the United States remains a better partner than China, Washington’s main strategic rival. Rubio met his counterparts from Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Indonesia on Friday.

Southeast Asia expert Murray Hiebert, from Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies, said it was positive Rubio had made his first Indo-Pacific trip, but his pledge about U.S. engagement was undercut by Trump’s treatment of key friends and partners on tariffs.

“This made it much easier for Wang Yi to talk about China’s stable and reliable economic relations,” he said.

Wang rebuked the United States in Kuala Lumpur, saying no country should support or agree with its tariffs, according to remarks released by Beijing on Friday.

He told Thailand’s foreign minister the tariffs had been abused and “undermined the free trade system, and interfered with the stability of the global production and supply chain.”

During a meeting with his Cambodian counterpart, Wang said the U.S. levies were an attempt to deprive Southeast Asian countries of their legitimate right to development.

“We believe that Southeast Asian countries have the ability to cope with complex situations, adhere to principled positions, and safeguard their own interests,” he said.

In a joint communique, ASEAN foreign ministers expressed concern over rising global trade tensions and called for a transparent and fair multilateral trading system.

Without mentioning the United States, they said unilateral tariffs were “counterproductive and risk exacerbating global economic fragmentation”.

INDISPENSABLE PARTNERSHIP

Rubio also met Russia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday and said he and Lavrov shared some ideas on a new or different Russian approach on Ukraine.

“I don’t want to oversell it, OK, but it was constructive,” he said on Friday. “We’ll find out, but there are some things that we will potentially explore, and I relayed that to the president and our team last night.”

Rubio also met Japan’s foreign minister and South Korea’s first vice foreign minister to discuss strengthening their “indispensable trilateral partnership”, the U.S. State Department said.

Asked about Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s remarks on Thursday that Tokyo needs to wean itself off of its dependence on Washington, Rubio said it was not a comment to be viewed negatively.

“We obviously have very strong commitments and an alliance with Japan. We continue to cooperate very closely with them,” he said.

Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis and Danial Azhar in Kuala Lumpur; Additional reporting by Liz Lee, Xiuhao Chen and Yukun Zhang in Beijing, Mikhail Flores in Manila and David Brunnstrom in Washington; Writing by Rozanna Latiff and Martin Petty; Editing by Saad Sayeed, Joe Bavier and Rod Nickel

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There is a “high probability” that US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will meet this year, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday.

“The odds are high,” Rubio told journalists gathered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Friday. “I think both sides want to see it happen.”

Rubio said he was unable to provide a date for any potential meeting but said there was a “strong desire on both sides to do it.” He added that it’s necessary to build the “right atmosphere” ahead of any such meeting in order to enable concrete deliverables.

The US top diplomat met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Kuala Lumpur on Friday for the first in-person meeting between the two foreign ministers, which comes as the US and China navigate trade frictions – and compete for influence in Asia.

The roughly hour-long meeting was “very constructive” and “positive,” Rubio said on Friday evening local time.

“We’re two big, powerful countries, and there are always going to be issues that we disagree on,” Rubio said, adding “I thought it was (a) very constructive, positive meeting, and (there’s) a lot of work to do.”

Both Rubio and Wang were attending regional meetings in the Malaysian capital this week, where foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, gathered alongside regional partners including Russia, Japan, South Korea and Australia.

The US and China have endured fraught trade relations since Trump’s return to office earlier this year, escalating and then de-escalating a tit-for-tat tariff spat sparked by the US president’s global trade war and sparring over export controls.

Tensions were eased as the two sides agreed to a trade framework during talks between negotiators in London last month, and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said earlier this week he would meet with Chinese counterparts to continue discussions in the coming weeks. A 90-day pause negotiated between the two sides in May was set to expire in August.

Chinese officials have decried the US tariffs and threatened to retaliate if the US reaches deals with other trade partners at the expense of Chinese interests – a sign that Beijing sees the US as using agreements with other countries as a means to squeeze its economy.

But both sides signaled that the meeting between Wang and Rubio was a productive one with a positive tone – and a step toward expanding cooperation, rather than frictions, between them.

On Friday, Rubio said his meeting with Wang gave the two sides an opportunity to identify areas to work together, but he did not detail areas of possible cooperation.

“That was our message – that (we have) the opportunity here to achieve some strategic stability and identify areas where we can cooperate together on and build better communications and a working trust,” he said.

The Chinese foreign ministry called Friday’s meeting “positive, pragmatic and constructive” in a statement published after Rubio spoke to the media.

Both sides “agreed to strengthen diplomatic channels and communication and dialogue at all levels in all fields,” the statement said. It also said Wang reiterated calls for Washington to view China with an “objective, rational and pragmatic attitude” and treat it in an “equal” manner.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (2nd L) meets with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi (2nd R) during the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ meeting and related meetings in Kuala Lumpur on July 11, 2025. Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

Trump’s trade war has added a layer of complexity to Rubio’s first trip to Asia as Washington’s top diplomat. The US in recent days sent letters to a number of countries announcing the tariff rates they would face in less than a month unless they strike trade deals with the US.

Eight of the 10 countries in ASEAN – along with South Korea and Japan – will face tariffs from the US on August 1, if the implementation deadline holds.

That’s created an opening for Chinese Foreign Minister Wang, who has looked to project a message that China remains a stable economic partner for the region. In meetings with ASEAN counterparts Thursday, Wang said China “always regards” ASEAN as a “priority” for China’s regional diplomacy.

US government officials have positioned Rubio’s trip as part of an effort to show that Washington remains committed to the region, where China is a key economic partner but also has friction with nations like the Philippines over its aggression in the South China Sea.

“In his first trip to Asia as secretary of state, Secretary Rubio is focused on reaffirming the United States’ commitment to advancing a free, open and secure Indo-Pacific region,” Tammy Bruce, the State Department spokeswoman, said in a statement earlier this week.

On Friday, Rubio pushed back on the idea that US tariffs could create an opportunity for China economically in the region, and said Washington is committed to addressing “tremendous trade imbalances” with countries that have accumulated over the past few decades.

“We’re resetting tariff levels with virtually every country in the world,” he told journalists, noting that such imbalances are “unfair to America and American workers.”

Last year, the US notched a $295 billion goods trade deficit with China, according to data from the US Census Bureau.

“I think countries are going to trade with multiple countries. We don’t view this as an opening for anyone. We don’t view it that way. We view it as an opportunity to reset global trade in a way that’s fair for Americans after two or three decades of unfairness,” he said.

Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in recent days said his country needs to wean itself off of dependence on the US – particularly citing security – as Tokyo faces the prospect of new tariffs. Rubio pointed to active US-Japan military exercises before making the case that such a move would be positive.

“The idea that Japan’s military would become more capable is not something we would be offended by; it’s something we would actually be encouraged by,” Rubio said.

CNN’s Anna Cooban and Shawn Deng contributed to this report.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he had “very constructive” talks with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, at a summit in Malaysia Friday, as the two superpowers compete for influence over Asia amid global trade tensions.

Rubio said that the odds of a meeting between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump this year were high, adding there was a “strong desire on both sides.”

The meeting came as Trump threatened several Asian countries with high tariff rates effective Aug. 1, and as Beijing has sought to deepen economic ties with those nations. US-China tensions have also been high at the summit with Beijing warning Washington against reinstating hefty duties against it next month, and calling Trump’s latest tariff salvo, “typical unilateral bullying behavior.”