US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that he was working on a possible sit-down in coming days with China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, on the sidelines of an Asean meeting in Malaysia amid a contentious trade dispute.

Rubio and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held talks in Kuala Lumpur on the sidelines of the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum, which brings together 10 ASEAN members and their most important diplomatic partners including Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, European nations and the U.S.

The U.S. Secretary of State wants to bolster defense ties in the Indo-Pacific, while distrust of Trump’s commitments to the region, particularly on economic issues, runs deep.

The U.S.-China competition is the key foreign policy issue of our day. China is not going away, as much as people talk about the Chinese economy slowing down. If you look at Chinese entrepreneurs in the tech sector, there's been a renewed enthusiasm and openness for the private sector in China.

China scolded U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio after he extended birthday wishes to the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, and told Washington to "stop meddling".

China's foreign ministry said on Tuesday (July 8) that the United States was in "no position" to point fingers at the country on Tibet-related issues, urging Washington to fully recognise the "sensitivity" of the matter.