Marco Rubio arrives in Manila to meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during ASEAN summit to address Middle East and South China Sea tensions.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Manila on Tuesday to participate in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. The administration announced that Rubio will meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the summit, marking the highest-level contact between the U.S. and China since President Trump visited Beijing in May. The summit comes as Southeast Asian nations grapple with the global impact of renewed hostilities between the United States and Iran. ASEAN ministers expressed serious concern over the conflict, which has disrupted energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz and caused significant price shocks for the region's $3.8 trillion economy. Regional leaders are also addressing maritime disputes in the South China Sea. The administration criticized China for "dangerous and aggressive" actions following a violent skirmish at Second Thomas Shoal, where a Chinese coast guard vessel struck a Philippine sailor. While China maintains its sovereignty claims, the U.S. continues to support the 2016 arbitral ruling that favored the Philippines.

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