US Secretary of State Marco Rubio Ready to Meet Chinese, Russian Counterparts in Philippines

Kathmandu. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said he is ready to meet with the Foreign Ministers of China and Russia during the Southeast Asian Nations regional meeting in the Philippines. His statement comes at a time when US-China relations have become more tense and regional power competition is intensifying.

Rubio is attending the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Manila this week. This visit is considered diplomatically important, coming just days after President Donald Trump recently accused Beijing of interfering in US elections. The US is trying to balance China's growing influence in the region.

When asked by reporters about a potential meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Rubio said they were open to such meetings. However, he stated that the topics of potential discussions were sensitive and could not be commented on publicly.

Rubio met with Wang Yi on the sidelines of the ASEAN meeting in Kuala Lumpur last year. After that, the two foreign ministers also held a telephone conversation following US President Trump's visit to China.

This is Rubio's first visit to the Philippines as Secretary of State. His visit comes at a time when Southeast Asian countries are being affected by the economic pressure caused by the US-Iran war.

Rubio described ASEAN as a key forum for US regional engagement and informed that during the visit, he would also meet with the Foreign Ministers of the 'Quad' group, including India, Japan, and Australia, and participate in various bilateral meetings.