Rubio to meet China's Wang in Malaysia

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday in Malaysia, the White House said.

The two are in Kuala Lumpur for a meeting of foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN.

The meeting marks one of the highest-level engagements between the US and China since President Donald Trump resumed office in January

Tensions remain high between Washington and Beijing, as the two nations clash over a range of issues, including Taiwan, trade, and emerging technologies.

What is on the agenda?

On Thursday, Wang said the two countries were facing challenges "such as the impact of unilateral protectionism and the abuse of tariffs by a certain major country," and called for a "fairer and more reasonable" international order.

US President Donald Trump has threatened several Asian nations with high tariffs unless they reach a deal with him by Aug. 1.

After taking office in January, Trump imposed tariffs as high as 145% on Chinese goods. Both sides escalated the trade war by imposing steep tariffs on each other, but in May agreed to de-escalate in what Trump called a "total reset."

Wang called for a "fairer and more reasonable" international orderImage: Mandel Ngan/AP/picture alliance

The two superpowers are also expected to discuss the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which China claims as its own. The United States supports Taiwan's right to self-rule and remains its largest arms supplier.

Rubio said he would also likely raise with Wang US concerns over China's support for Russia in its war against Ukraine.

"The Chinese clearly have been supportive of the Russian effort and I think that generally, they've been willing to help them as much as they can without getting caught," he said.

Edited by: Louis Oelofse