Marco Rubio leads US diplomatic talks in Manila during ASEAN summit

In Manila, on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ meeting, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a series of bilateral and multilateral discussions. He met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, focusing on the preparation for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s planned visit to Washington and noting areas of cooperation despite ongoing differences.

Rubio also sat with India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, reviewing the India‑US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, the Quad’s role in a free and open Indo‑Pacific, and cooperation on trade, energy, defence, critical minerals and artificial intelligence. The Quad foreign ministers – India, the United States, Japan and Australia – reconvened, reaffirming their commitment to maritime security, supply‑chain resilience and technology collaboration.

Additional meetings included Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., where the two leaders reiterated the strong US‑Philippines alliance, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, with talks on ending the war in Ukraine and regional security issues. Rubio addressed concerns about Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz, warned of dangerous precedents, and announced a US commitment of $2.5 billion to support ASEAN’s economic stability and security. Across the engagements, he stressed ASEAN’s central role, the importance of a free‑open Indo‑Pacific, and the need for coordinated action on trade, AI, and supply‑chain diversification.