US Secretary of State holds high-stakes meeting with Chinese counterpart during ASEAN conference to discuss issues tied to tariff, security

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrapped up his second and final day at a Southeast Asian security conference in a high-stakes meeting with his Chinese counterpart as tensions grow between Washington and Beijing over issues from trade to security and China's support for Russia's war in Ukraine.

After discussions with regional countries at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations forum in Malaysia, Rubio on Friday ended his first official trip to Asia with his first face-to-face talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Neither man nor the delegations spoke to journalists as they posed for photos at the top of the meeting.

The meeting was held less than 24 hours after Rubio met in Kuala Lumpur with another rival, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, during which they discussed potential new avenues to jumpstart Ukraine peace talks.

The meetings come against a backdrop of global and regional unease over US policies, notably on trade and large tariffs that US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose on friend and foe alike.

While Rubio heard complaints about the tariffs from his Southeast Asian counterparts, he told reporters  on Thursday that many of them focused their discussion on security issues, their concerns about Chinese domination and desire for cooperation with the US.

"Of course, it's raised. It's an issue," Rubio said. "But I wouldn't say it solely defines our relationship with many of these countries. There are a lot of other issues that we work together on, and I think there was great enthusiasm that we were here and that we're a part of this." 

However, Trump sees China as the biggest threat to the United States in multiple fields, not least technology and trade, and like previous US presidents has watched the country greatly expand its influence globally while turning increasingly assertive in the Indo-Pacific, notably toward its small neighbours over the South China Sea and Taiwan.

Trump has warned of massive tariffs that he could impose on Chinese exports to the United States and preliminary discussions between the two sides have yet to produce significant progress.

Since former President Joe Biden was in office, the US has also accused China of assisting Russia in rebuilding its military industrial sector to help it execute its war against Ukraine. Rubio said the Trump administration shares that view.

"I think 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," Rubio said Thursday, suggesting the topic would be discussed if he and Wang met.

Rubio and Wang have been shadowboxing during the two-day ASEAN meeting, with each touting the benefits of their partnership to Southeast Asian nations.

Myanmar to US: Cut tariff, lift sanctions

Myanmar's military leader lauded President Trump and asked him to lift sanctions, the ruling junta said on Friday, after a tariff letter from the US president that it has taken as Washington's first public recognition of its rule. 

US diplomats do not formally engage with the junta, but Trump sent a letter to Min Aung Hlaing by name on Monday telling him the US would impose a 40% tariff from August 1, down from a threatened 44%. 

It was one of 20 similar letters sent to world leaders by Donald Trump in recent days.

Min Aung Hlaing seized the opportunity to respond with a multi-page letter .

Min Aung Hlaing asked Trump to "reconsider easing and lifting the economic sanctions imposed on Myanmar," and sought a tariff of 10-20 per cent.