Rubio Meets Wang Yi at ASEAN Before Xi's US Visit
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- Rubio met Wang Yi at the ASEAN gathering in Manila on Wednesday to manage tensions ahead of Xi's planned September US visit, acknowledging 'great differences' likely to persist 'for the foreseeable future'
- Wang Yi demanded the US 'respect China's core interests' and 'effectively manage differences,' with China's foreign ministry calling the talks 'pragmatic, positive and constructive' and both sides agreeing to prepare for 'the next stage of high-level exchanges'
- Rubio raised Monday's South China Sea confrontation at Second Thomas Shoal — where a Chinese coastguard allegedly struck a Philippine sailor with a wooden baton — and said the US remains bound by its defense treaty to defend Manila
- The US is raising military financing for the Philippines to $100 million for fiscal 2026 and adding $9 million to expand a coastguard pier on Palawan, per a State Department fact sheet
- Rubio warned of 'dire new threats' if the South China Sea 'falls under the control of a power willing to use commerce as a geopolitical weapon,' language he also ran in a Philippine media op-ed on Tuesday
- In a separate meeting with ASEAN foreign ministers, Rubio said Iran is 'not serious about talks,' noting the US has struck Iran for 11 consecutive nights, targeting roads, bridges and power plants
- Rubio confirmed he will meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday to discuss the Ukraine war, saying Washington remains open to playing a constructive role
Why it matters: Rubio's ASEAN day tests whether Washington can pressure China on the South China Sea, bankroll Manila with $109 million in new military and pier funding, and still stage a successful Xi visit in September — all while running an 11-night air campaign against Iran and engaging Moscow on Ukraine. The Philippines is the clearest beneficiary of the posture; Beijing loses room to escalate at Second Thomas Shoal without diplomatic blowback.
