US and China have 'positive' meeting at ASEAN foreign minister talks

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.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (front left) with China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi (right) during the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers meeting in Kuala Lumpur on July 11

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.

Rubio gives a media briefing after meeting with Wang Yi

"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.

Delegates at the 58th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Kuala Lumpur on July 11

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.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio talks to reporters during the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Malaysia

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".

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