Rubio Heads to Malaysia for Summit Under Shadow of Tariffs

Signage for the 46th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.Photographer: He Guowei/VCG/Getty Images

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By Eric Martin and Philip Heijmans

July 7, 2025 at 12:51 PM UTC

Updated on

July 8, 2025 at 8:08 AM UTC

Marco Rubio is making his first trip to Asia as the top US diplomat, heading to a summit in Malaysia a day after President Donald Trump again threatened to slam the region with high tariffs.

The secretary of state flies to Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday for a gathering of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. While he’d prefer to keep the focus on security issues and competition with China, the trip will take place under the shadow of Trump’s latest tariff gambit.