KUALA LUMPUR, July 11, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio 
and Chinese top diplomat Wang Yi had a "positive" meeting in Malaysia on 
Friday, both sides said, in an apparent bid to ease tensions between the 
rival powers.

Rubio and Wang's first face-to-face meeting since US President Donald Trump 
returned to office came as Washington and Beijing are locked in disputes 
ranging from trade to Taiwan -- and both countries vie for greater influence 
in the region.

"I thought it was a very constructive and positive meeting," Rubio told 
reporters after the hour-long talks in capital Kuala Lumpur, but he stressed: 
"It was not a negotiation."

"I think we left it feeling as there's some areas we're gonna be able to work 
together on."

Rubio was also optimistic that a meeting between US President Donald Trump 
and Chinese leader Xi Jinping would happen.

"There's a strong desire on both sides to do it," Rubio said, adding no date 
was set.

Beijing said in a statement "both sides agreed that the meeting was positive, 
pragmatic and constructive".

Both countries agreed to "enhance communication and dialogue through 
diplomatic channels... and explore expanding cooperation areas while managing 
differences," China's foreign ministry said.

The sit-down between Wang and Rubio, a longtime China hawk, came as Asian 
foreign ministers wrapped up three days of talks at an Association of 
Southeast Asian Nations gathering in Kuala Lumpur.

Top diplomats from Russia, the European Union, Australia, Britain and Canada 
also attended.

- 'Not sustainable ' -

US officials said ahead of Rubio's first trip to the region as secretary of 
state that Washington was "prioritising" its commitment to East and Southeast 
Asia.

While US tariffs overshadowed the gathering, Rubio said he was "warmly 
received" by Asian partners as he sought to placate concerns over the duties.

"If you look at some of these trade deficits, they're massive. That has to be 
addressed," Rubio said at the end of his whirlwind trip.

"Everybody here is a mature leader who understands that that's not 
sustainable."

Trump has threatened punitive tariffs ranging from 20 to 50 percent against 
more than 20 countries, many in Asia, if they do not strike deals with 
Washington by August 1.

ASEAN described the tariffs as "counterproductive" and a threat to regional 
growth, according to a joint statement released Friday.

Long-time US ally Japan faces a 25 percent across-the-board levy, separate 
from similar charges already imposed on cars, steel and aluminium. South 
Korea faces a similar tariff.

Rubio met his Japanese and South Korean counterparts on Friday, with his 
spokeswoman Tammy Bruce calling it an "indispensable relationship".

Wang told Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim earlier Friday that 
Washington's "unilateral imposition of high tariffs is irresponsible and 
unpopular," according to a foreign ministry statement.

Malaysia's Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan told a closing news conference the 
ASEAN meeting mentioned "each country's concerns respectively" regarding 
tariffs.

Tensions between the United States and China have ratcheted up since Trump 
took office in January, with both countries engaging in a tariff war that 
briefly sent duties on each other's exports sky-high.

- Deep mistrust -

Washington hit China with additional levies of 145 percent on its goods as 
both sides engaged in tit-for-tat escalation, while China's countermeasures 
on US goods reached 125 percent.

Beijing and Washington agreed in May to temporarily slash the staggering 
tariffs -- an outcome Trump dubbed a "total reset".

However, deep mistrust remains between the two countries, with each 
suspecting the other of trying to weaken its influence.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth accused China in late May of "credibly 
preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power" in 
the Asia-Pacific region.

He also claimed that Beijing "trains every day" to invade self-ruled Taiwan, 
which China claims as part of its territory.

In response, Chinese diplomats accused the United States of using the Taiwan 
issue to "contain China" and called on Washington to stop "playing with 
fire".