The meeting takes place on the sidelines of a Southeast Asian summit, where Washington and Beijing are each attempting to exert their influence.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he’s working on setting up a meeting with his Chinese counterpart at a summit in Malaysia this week, the first in-person session between the two and a possible prelude to a presidential summit.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Malaysia's Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan on civil nuclear cooperation, the State Department said in a statement on Thursday.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur on Thursday to attend the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting, local media reported. This marks Rubio's first visit to the region since he assumed office earlier this year, the state-run Bernama news agency reported.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is attending an Asean summit – his first official visit to the region since Donald Trump’s return.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met counterparts in Southeast Asia on Thursday during his first visit to Asia since taking office, reassuring them it is a priority for Washington despite President Donald Trump's tariff offensive.