Rubio makes first visit to Asia as Trump tariffs loom

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Mr Marco Rubio will nevertheless seek to firm up US relationships with partners and allies.

PHOTO: EPA

KUALA LUMPUR - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet with Southeast Asian counterparts on July 10 in

his first visit to Asia since taking office

Washingtons top diplomat will meet in Kuala Lumpur with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, whose ministers are gathering there this week, and with senior Malaysian government officials, the State Department said. He will also take part in broader meetings involving Asean and its partners.

The trip is part of an effort to renew US focus on the Indo-Pacific and look beyond the conflicts in the Middle East and Europe that have consumed much of the Trump administrations attention, with Mr Rubio balancing dual responsibilities as secretary of state and national security adviser.

However, Mr Trumps global tariff strategy is likely to cast a shadow over the trip, after the president announced steep tariffs to take effect on Aug 1 on six Asean members, including Malaysia, as well as on close North-east Asian allies Japan and South Korea.

Mr Rubio will nevertheless seek to firm up US relationships with partners and allies, who have been unnerved by the tariffs, and is likely to press the case that the United States remains a better partner than China, Washingtons main strategic rival, experts said.

“This is significant, and it’s an effort to try to