Diplomacy & Geopolitics
Rubio and China's Wang to meet during ASEAN talks in Manila
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday on the sidelines of an ASEAN summit in Manila, a State Department official said.
The meeting comes amid US criticism of Beijing's actions in the contested South China Sea and claims by US President Donald Trump that China interfered with American election data. Rubio and Wang are in Manila for a meeting of foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
The two officials also met last year during an ASEAN gathering in Kuala Lumpur and again in Munich in February.
In an opinion article published in Philippine media outlets on Tuesday, Rubio said Washington was committed to freedom of navigation in Southeast Asia and reaffirmed US defence commitments in the region.
Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, a major global trade route, despite an international ruling that its claims have no legal basis. Philippine and Chinese sailors clashed at Second Thomas Shoal on Monday in what the source described as the first serious seaborne encounter in months.
After Rubio arrived in the Philippines, the United States criticised what it called China's dangerous and aggressive actions and urged Beijing to stop what it described as destabilising conduct.
Wang is also expected to meet his Philippine counterpart on Wednesday.
Rubio and Wang are likely to discuss the Middle East as well as Trump's recent claim that Beijing illicitly obtained 220 million US voter files during the 2020 election cycle. China called the claim pure fabrication.
Before leaving Washington on Sunday, Rubio declined to say whether he would specifically raise the election issue with Wang. He told reporters the matters were delicate and said the meeting would cover issues that were important.
Rubio also said on Sunday that he expected Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit the United States in September, after Trump's trip to China last spring.
Update
Rubio and Wang are both in Manila for an ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting.
The source says the two officials met last year on the sidelines of an ASEAN gathering in Kuala Lumpur and again in Munich in February.
Rubio wrote in Philippine media outlets about Washington's commitment to freedom of navigation in Southeast Asia and reaffirmed the US defensive umbrella in the region.
The source describes a Monday clash between Philippine and Chinese sailors at Second Thomas Shoal as the first serious seaborne encounter in months.
The United States called China's actions dangerous and aggressive after Rubio arrived in the Philippines and urged Beijing to stop destabilising conduct.
Wang is also expected to meet his Philippine counterpart on Wednesday.
The source says Rubio and Wang are likely to discuss the Middle East and Trump's claim about Chinese acquisition of US voter files, which China called pure fabrications.
Rubio declined before leaving Washington to say whether he would raise the election issue with Wang.
Rubio said he expected Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit the United States in September after Trump's trip to China last spring.
Source note: AFP news report published on 21 July 2026 at 15:12:58 UTC.
Update
The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday.
The meeting is to take place on the sidelines of an ASEAN summit in Manila.
The source places the meeting against the backdrop of US condemnation of Beijing's manoeuvres in the contested South China Sea.
The source also cites US President Donald Trump's claims that China meddled with American election data.
Source note: AFP news report published on 21 July 2026 at 14:25:55 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
Rubio declined to say before the meeting whether he would specifically raise Trump's election-data claim with Wang.
Source
AFP news report published on .