By Daphne Psaledakis and David Brunnstrom
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) -U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met counterparts in Southeast Asia on Thursday during his first visit to the region since taking office, reassuring them it is a priority for Washington, despite President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Washington’s top diplomat joined foreign ministers of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Kuala Lumpur at a meeting that includes Australia, China, the European Union, Japan, Russia, South Korea and Russia, and others.
The visit is part of an effort to renew U.S. focus on the Indo-Pacific and look beyond conflicts in the Middle East and Europe that have consumed much of the Trump administration’s attention.
“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 told the gathering of ASEAN ministers.
“When I hear … that perhaps the United States or the world might be distracted by events in other parts of the planet, I would say distraction is impossible,” added Rubio, who doubles as national security adviser.
However, Trump’s global tariff strategy is likely to cast a shadow over the trip after he unveiled steep tariffs from August 1 on seven ASEAN members, including Malaysia, as well as on close Northeast Asian allies Japan and South Korea.
Rubio will nevertheless seek to firm U.S. ties with partners and allies unnerved by the tariffs, and is likely to press the case that the United States remains a better partner than China, Washington’s main strategic rival, experts said.
“This is significant, and it’s an effort to try to counter that Chinese diplomatic and economic offensive,” said Victor Cha, president of the geopolitics and foreign policy department at Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies.
“It’s kind of late, because we’re seven months into the administration. Usually, these happen much sooner. But then again, it is extraordinary circumstances… But I guess better late than never.”
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov are also attending the event.
Rubio was set for talks with Lavrov later on Thursday that will be their second in-person meeting, at a time when Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with Russian President Vladimir Putin as the war in Ukraine drags on.
TARIFFS UNEASE
On Monday, a senior State Department official said Rubio’s priorities for the trip included reaffirming Washington’s commitment to the region, not just for its sake but because it promotes American prosperity and security.
Security cooperation is a top priority, in areas such as the strategic South China Sea, and combating transnational crime, narcotics, scam centers, and people-trafficking, added the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
On Thursday, Rubio stressed to ASEAN that the Indo-Pacific was a “focal point of U.S. foreign policy”.
In addition to their tariff unease, many have doubts about the willingness of Trump’s “America First” administration to fully engage diplomatically and economically with the region.
Trump will impose a tariff of 25% on Japan and South Korea and has taken aim at ASEAN nations, with a levy of 25% on Malaysia, 32% on Indonesia, 36% on Cambodia and Thailand, as well as 40% on Laos and Myanmar.
He has also stepped up to 20% from 17% the tariff on U.S. defence treaty ally the Philippines.
Export-reliant ASEAN is collectively the world’s fifth-biggest economy, with some members benefiting from supply chain realignments from China. Only Vietnam has secured a deal with Trump to lower its levy to 20% from an initial 46%.
Trump has also upset another key Indo-Pacific ally, Australia, which said on Wednesday it was “urgently seeking more detail” on his threat of 200% tariffs on pharmaceutical imports.
A draft joint communique seen by Reuters shows that ASEAN foreign ministers will express “concern over rising global trade tensions and growing uncertainties … particularly the unilateral actions relating to tariffs.”
Monday’s draft, preceding news of the latest tariff rates, did not mention the United States and used language similar to an ASEAN leaders’ statement in May.
Both said tariffs were “counterproductive and risk exacerbating global economic fragmentation”.
The State Department official said Rubio would be prepared to discuss trade and reiterate that the need to rebalance U.S. trade relationships was significant.
(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis in Kuala Lumpur and David Brunnstrom in Washington; Editing by Martin Petty and Clarence Fernandez)
