On Wednesday, July 22, 2026, United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) foreign ministers' gathering in Manila. The meeting focused on managing ongoing bilateral tensions ahead of a planned summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Rubio acknowledged that the US and China have “great differences” likely to persist “for the foreseeable future,” but emphasized the importance of managing these disagreements to ensure a “very positive visit” for Xi Jinping to the US.

The ASEAN meeting took place amid heightened tensions over China’s actions in the disputed South China Sea and the US war against Iran, issues that have raised concerns among ASEAN countries.

In a related development, the Philippines accused the Chinese coastguard of striking a Philippine navy staff member on the head with a wooden baton. China countered by claiming Philippine personnel initiated the attack and accused Philippine vessels of ramming a Chinese patrol boat.

The US has increased military financing for the Philippines to $100 million for the 2026 fiscal year and is providing an additional $9 million to expand a coastguard pier on Palawan island. This expansion aims to enhance Philippine maritime law enforcement presence and sustain operations in the South China Sea, according to a State Department fact sheet.

Additional tensions include US moves to ban military-grade drone imports from China and the imposition of 50% US tariffs on some Canadian goods, citing discrimination.

Sources