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8h ago

Rubio Heads to Malaysia for ASEAN Talks to Reaffirm Indo-Pacific Commitments

He aims to shore up U.S. credibility with Southeast Asian nations unsettled by tariff disputes

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reacts as he testifies at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on U.S. President Donald Trump's State Department budget request for the Department of State, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 20, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio heads to Malaysia to attend a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, his first trip to Asia since becoming America's top diplomat
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Overview

  • Rubio’s July 8–12 itinerary marks his first official visit to the Indo-Pacific as Secretary of State.
  • He will join ASEAN foreign ministers in Kuala Lumpur to underscore U.S. support for a free, open and secure regional order.
  • Confronting unease over President Trump’s global tariff measures is a central objective of his diplomatic outreach.
  • On the sidelines, Rubio will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
  • He will build on last week’s Quad ministers summit by advancing a critical minerals partnership to diversify supply chains away from China.