US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met on the sidelines of the ASEAN foreign ministers’ gathering in Manila on Wednesday, with both sides confirming they had discussed laying the groundwork for a state visit to Washington by President Xi Jinping in September. According to a Chinese foreign ministry readout, Wang urged the United States to “respect China’s core interests and the One-China principle” and to “effectively manage differences”. Rubio told reporters the two had spoken at length about identifying areas of cooperation, acknowledging that “significant differences” would persist but stressing that their job was to ensure they “never get out of control”. The 90-minute meeting did not address recent US accusations of Chinese election interference, which Beijing has dismissed as fabrication.

Addressing ASEAN foreign ministers earlier, Rubio placed the blame for the escalating Middle East conflict squarely on Iran, stating that Tehran was “not serious about talks” and warning that its demand to control shipping through the Strait of Hormuz would set a “very dangerous precedent” for global trade and freedom of navigation. Viewed from Washington, allowing any state to unilaterally police an international waterway and attack vessels that refuse to pay tolls threatens the rules underpinning 150 years of commerce. Rubio also reaffirmed that the United States would honour its mutual defence treaty obligations to the Philippines following a clash between Chinese and Philippine personnel in the South China Sea, and joined Quad partners India, Japan and Australia in a joint statement pledging to uphold maritime security in the Indo-Pacific.

Beijing’s official summary of the Wang-Rubio talks described the exchange as “pragmatic, positive and constructive”, while Wang separately told ASEAN counterparts that China and the bloc could serve as an “anchor for regional and global peace”. Chinese state media reported that Wang had explained China’s “firm position” on what it termed a series of recent negative US statements and actions. On the South China Sea, Beijing accused elements of the Philippine security apparatus of deliberate provocations serving external interests, and insisted that Australia had no right to intervene. ASEAN foreign ministers, for their part, issued a joint statement expressing serious concern that the Middle East war was undermining mediation efforts and reducing prospects for a peaceful resolution, noting that the Strait of Hormuz carries roughly 60 percent of the region’s energy supplies.

The diplomatic activity unfolded against a backdrop of continued US military strikes on Iran for an eleventh consecutive night and Houthi threats to block Saudi oil shipments through the Red Sea, which have pushed benchmark Brent crude near six-week highs. A fragile US-China trade truce reached in October has kept bilateral economic tensions in check, though Washington is still reviewing a proposed $14 billion arms package for Taiwan; President Donald Trump has described the delay as a potential “bargaining chip”. The 60-day US-Iran negotiating window established in June has passed its halfway point, with Rubio stating that Washington remains open to diplomacy but that “consequences” would follow if commitments are not kept. The ASEAN ministerial meetings are scheduled to continue through Friday, with Rubio expected to hold talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.