Rubio meets Wang Yi in Manila ahead of US-China summit

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Manila on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, on the sidelines of a regional diplomatic gathering, with the anticipated leaders' summit between President Donald Trump and China's Xi Jinping in September expected to be a key topic. The meeting, confirmed by a State Department official, occurs amid a fragile truce between the superpowers, complicated by Trump's recent accusations of Chinese election meddling, which Beijing denies.

The bilateral talks are taking place within the broader context of an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led meeting in the Philippine capital, which has drawn attendance from numerous global powers including Australia, Russia, Japan, Canada, South Korea, Britain, the European Union, and India. The gathering unfolds against a backdrop of renewed U.S.-Iran hostilities and escalating diplomatic tensions between China and the Philippines following a recent South China Sea incident that led to ambassadors being summoned in both capitals.

In an opinion piece published in Philippine media upon his arrival on Tuesday, Rubio framed the South China Sea as a critical arena, stating...