US, China trade veiled barbs at ASEAN meetings, pledge support for regional bloc

KUALA LUMPUR: Top diplomats of the United States and China took veiled swipes at each other in separate meetings with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Thursday (Jul 10) as they pledged support for the grouping amid geopolitical and trade uncertainty. 

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio raised the issue of overlapping territorial claims in the South China Sea, a source of significant friction between China and several ASEAN nations, alongside allegations of unfair trade practices by Beijing. 

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the other hand spoke about a world in chaos, and the need for trade disputes to be resolved through dialogue, in what appears to be a critique of America’s unilateral imposition of tariffs.    

The meetings come at a time of growing pressure as ASEAN – which has 10 member states – proves its relevance amid global uncertainty and a range of regional challenges.

Rubio, on his first visit to Asia, said the region remains a “focal point” of US foreign policy under the Trump administration. 

“The US is a committed partner to ASEAN,” he said in opening remarks at the ASEAN post-ministerial conference with the US.

“When I hear in the news that perhaps the US or the world might be distracted by events in other parts of the planet, I would say distraction is impossible, because it is our view – our strong view and the reality – that this century and the next – the story of the next 50 years will largely be written here in this region, in this part of the world,” Rubio said.

Thursday’s dialogues occurred a day after US President Donald Trump’s 90-day tariff pause concluded. Malaysia faces a 25 per cent tariff on exports to the US, Laos and Myanmar 40 per cent, Cambodia and Thailand 36 per cent, and Indonesia 32 per cent.

But Rubio did not address the issue of tariffs in his remarks to ASEAN counterparts.