US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has confirmed his attendance at the upcoming ASEAN-related meetings in Kuala Lumpur later this week, according to informed diplomatic sources.
Rubio, who has yet to visit Southeast Asia since his appointment in January, is scheduled to attend three ASEAN-led meetings—the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, the Post Ministerial Conference, and the ASEAN Regional Forum—from July 9 to 11.
Regional and international issues, including the recent U.S. tariff hikes, will top the agenda at these meetings, the sources added. Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sagiempongsa is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Rubio on the sidelines of the ASEAN meetings.
Since President Donald Trump’s return to office, ASEAN–U.S. relations have focused primarily on trade issues with individual member states. ASEAN leaders are eager to meet Rubio to hear his views and assess the U.S. commitment and reliability in the region.
The bloc has decided not to take any retaliatory measures and will instead pursue diplomacy and dialogue. Furthermore, ASEAN will adhere to the rules and regulations set forth by the World Trade Organization.
During his first term, Trump paid little attention to ASEAN, attending the ASEAN Summit only once—in the Philippines in 2017—and leaving a day early.
Following Trump’s recent executive order, numerous USAID programs related to Southeast Asia were cut. Rubio, who now oversees USAID as part of the State Department, has reduced 83 percent of its programs, affecting more than 5,200 contracts globally. Across Southeast Asia, roughly US$860 million in funding—covering health, governance, education, and civil society—has been slashed.
Popular flagship programs in culture, education, and training under the U.S.–ASEAN framework were among those affected, damaging the U.S.’s previously positive track record in the region.
