Diplomacy & Geopolitics
US condemns China actions as Rubio arrives in Manila
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Manila on Tuesday for a meeting of Southeast Asian foreign ministers, as Washington condemned what it called China's dangerous and aggressive actions after a clash with the Philippine navy in the South China Sea.
The US State Department said China's conduct toward what it described as the Philippines' legitimate maritime operations undermined regional peace and stability and contradicted China's commitments to settle disputes peacefully.
Rubio landed in the Philippine capital for talks linked to the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations. His team has not publicly confirmed whether he will meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is also due in Manila on Wednesday and Thursday, but Rubio has said he is open to such a meeting. The two met last year on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur and again in Munich in February.
In an opinion article published in Philippine media on Tuesday morning, Rubio said Washington was committed to freedom of navigation in Southeast Asia and reaffirmed the US defensive umbrella in the region. He warned that if the waters came under the control of a power willing to use trade as a geopolitical weapon, the United States and ASEAN countries would face new risks to their sovereignty, security and economic future. The article did not name China in that passage, but the reference was presented as an allusion to Beijing.
China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, a key global trade route, despite an international ruling that its claims have no legal basis. Several ASEAN members, including the Philippines, have claims that overlap with China's.
The Philippine military accused the Chinese coast guard of wounding a Filipino sailor on Monday near an outpost in a disputed part of the waterway. The Chinese coast guard rejected the accusation and called Manila's account a complete distortion of the truth.
Rubio's visit is his first to the Philippines as secretary of state, and he intends to reaffirm the strengthened partnership with the United States. The trip comes while the United States and Iran are again in conflict, more than a week after hostilities resumed over the Strait of Hormuz.
Before leaving Washington on Sunday, Rubio said he expected to take part in a meeting with fellow Quad countries Australia, Japan and India on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit. He also said he planned meetings with South Korea and possibly Vietnam, and said he would raise US economic commitments to energy infrastructure, critical minerals and artificial intelligence.
Update
Rubio arrived in Manila on Tuesday morning for the ASEAN meeting.
The US State Department condemned what it called dangerous and aggressive actions by China after a clash involving the Philippine navy in the South China Sea.
The Philippine military accused the Chinese coast guard of wounding a Filipino sailor on Monday near a disputed outpost, while the Chinese coast guard rejected Manila's account.
Rubio wrote in Philippine media that Washington remains committed to freedom of navigation in Southeast Asia and reaffirmed the US defensive umbrella in the region.
Rubio said he expected to meet counterparts from Quad countries and South Korea, and possibly Vietnam, and to raise US economic commitments on energy infrastructure, critical minerals and artificial intelligence.
Source note: AFP news report published on 21 July 2026 at 01:16:56 UTC.
Update
Rubio said he was open to meeting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov while in the Philippines.
Rubio said he would not disclose in a press conference what he would raise in such meetings, calling them delicate matters.
Rubio described ASEAN as the United States' primary way of engaging the region.
Rubio said he would take part in bilateral meetings and sit-downs with Quad members India, Japan and Australia.
The source says the trip is Rubio's first to the Philippines as secretary of state.
Source note: AFP news report published on 20 July 2026 at 03:29:09 UTC.
Update
Rubio is due to attend the ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting in Manila from Tuesday to Thursday.
State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said the trip supports a US priority of a free and open Indo-Pacific.
The report says Washington is seeking to counter China's growing influence.
Iran is expected to be on the agenda because Asian countries are being affected by the conflict and its impact on traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
The International Energy Agency says about 80 percent of hydrocarbons passing through the Strait of Hormuz are bound for Asian countries.
Southeast Asian leaders discussed creating a shared fuel reserve at a Cebu summit in May, according to Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos.
Rubio is expected to meet Marcos, and the South China Sea is expected to be discussed.
Myanmar is also expected to be discussed after ASEAN foreign ministers called for concrete progress on a peace plan.
Source note: AFP news report published on 17 July 2026 at 14:21:07 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
Rubio's entourage had not publicly confirmed whether he would meet Wang Yi.
A possible meeting with Vietnam was not confirmed in the source.
The accounts of the South China Sea clash differ between the Philippine military and the Chinese coast guard.
Source
AFP news report published on .