Rubio makes first visit to Asia as Trump's tariffs loom

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet Southeast Asian foreign ministers on Thursday during his first trip to Asia since taking office, aiming to reassure the region of Washington’s commitment despite President Donald Trump's sweeping new tariffs targeting many of its economies.

Rubio is scheduled to meet ministers from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Kuala Lumpur, and will also hold separate talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who is also in the Malaysian capital, according to the U.S. State Department.

This visit is part of Washington’s renewed focus on the Indo-Pacific, as Rubio, who also serves as national security adviser, seeks to redirect U.S. diplomatic attention away from ongoing crises in the Middle East and Europe.

However, Trump’s decision to impose new tariffs effective 1 August, targeting six ASEAN countries including Malaysia, as well as allies Japan and South Korea, is expected to overshadow the trip.

Despite this, Rubio will aim to strengthen U.S. ties in the region and present America as a more reliable partner than China, its main strategic competitor. Experts say the trip is part of a broader push to counter Beijing’s growing diplomatic and economic influence.

“This visit is important as it’s part of an effort to respond to China’s aggressive regional push,” said Victor Cha, President of the Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department at Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Rubio’s meeting with Lavrov on Thursday will be their second face-to-face discussion, amid rising tensions between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin over the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi is also expected to take part in this week’s meetings, though it remains unclear whether a bilateral meeting with Rubio will take place.

A senior U.S. State Department official said on Monday that one of Rubio’s top priorities is reaffirming Washington’s long-term engagement with Southeast Asia, noting that such a commitment also benefits U.S. security and economic interests.

“It’s coming a bit late, seven months into the administration,” Cha said. “Normally, these visits happen earlier. But given the circumstances, better late than never.”

Security concerns will be a central theme, particularly issues related to the South China Sea, transnational crime, drug trafficking, scam networks, and human trafficking, the State Department official added.

Still, there is widespread concern across the Indo-Pacific about Trump's "America First" approach and how committed the U.S. remains to the region both diplomatically and economically.

Earlier this week, Trump announced a 25% tariff on goods from Japan and South Korea, and increased levies on several ASEAN countries: 25% on Malaysia, 32% on Indonesia, 36% on Cambodia and Thailand, and 40% on Laos and Myanmar.

Australia, another key U.S. ally in the Indo-Pacific, also expressed alarm after Trump threatened to raise tariffs on pharmaceutical imports to 200%, saying it was “urgently seeking more detail.”

According to a draft communique seen by Reuters, ASEAN foreign ministers will express concern about escalating global trade tensions and economic uncertainty, particularly regarding unilateral tariff actions. The statement, prepared before the latest U.S. tariff hike, avoids naming the United States directly, but warns that such measures are “counterproductive” and could deepen global economic fragmentation.

Rubio is expected to address trade issues during the meetings and reaffirm the administration's stance that rebalancing trade relationships remains a U.S. priority.

ASEAN, a major player in global commerce and the world’s fifth-largest economy, has seen some member states benefit from supply chain shifts away from China.

So far, only Vietnam has secured a new tariff agreement with the U.S., reducing its rate from an initial 46% to 20%.

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