US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi today in Kuala Lumpur on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit.1 This first face-to-face meeting since President Donald Trump took office comes amid significant tensions, with Washington's tariffs a central point of contention.2

Rubio aims to reassure Asian trade partners regarding Trump's threatened 20-50% tariffs on over 20 countries, many in Asia, if no trade deals are reached by August 1.3 Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has criticized tariffs as "instruments of geopolitical rivalry," while Wang Yi called for a "fairer and more reasonable" international order, decrying "unilateral protectionism and the abuse of tariffs."

Beyond trade, the high-stakes meeting will likely cover Taiwan and the South China Sea.4 Rubio, a long-standing China critic, will probably voice US concerns over China's increasing military pressure on Taiwan and its expansionary actions in the South China Sea, where Beijing claims vast territories and has militarized features.5 US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently accused China of "credibly preparing to potentially use military force" in the Asia-Pacific and training daily to invade Taiwan, while Chinese diplomats accused the US of "playing with fire" on the Taiwan issue