Camille Naredo

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio boards a plane as he departs Joint Base Andrews with him to the Munich Security Conference, Germany, from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., on February 13, 2025. Evelyn Hockstein, AFP/File

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio boards a plane as he departs Joint Base Andrews with him to the Munich Security Conference, Germany, from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., on February 13, 2025. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was forced to turn back on February 13, 2025 on his second trip abroad due to a mechanical issue with his airplane, the State Department said. Rubio was headed to the Munich Security Conference when his plane abruptly turned back toward Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington, according to an AFP reporter with him. (Photo by Evelyn Hockstein / POOL / AFP)

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RUBIO-USA

Agence France-Presse

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1784338091622AFP__20250214__36XR7PW__v1__Preview__GermanyUsDiplomacySecurityMsc.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio boards a plane as he departs Joint Base Andrews with him to the Munich Security Conference, Germany, from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., on February 13, 2025. Evelyn Hockstein, AFP/File"/>U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio boards a plane as he departs Joint Base Andrews with him to the Munich Security Conference, Germany, from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., on February 13, 2025. Evelyn Hockstein, AFP/File</div>WASHINGTON -- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio travels to the Philippines next week to meet with his Southeast Asian counterparts, the State Department said Friday, as the rekindled war with Iran places traditional American allies under economic strain.The trip comes as the pace of strikes in the Middle East shows no signs of slowing, and just days after US President Donald Trump launched a sweeping attack Thursday on China -- alleging Beijing carried out substantial meddling in US elections.<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/7/18/us-iran-trade-attacks-as-renewed-war-intensifies-0807">READ: US, Iran trade attacks as renewed war intensifies</a></div><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/7/17/trump-revives-sprawling-election-fraud-claims-in-address-to-nation-1035">READ: Trump revives sprawling election fraud claims in address to nation</a></div>Rubio is due to attend a meeting of foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Manila from Tuesday to Thursday. He attended last year&#x27;s gathering in Kuala Lumpur.State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said the trip &quot;advances a clear US priority: a free and open Indo-Pacific that delivers safety, security, and prosperity for the region and for the American people.&quot;For Washington, that means seeking to counter China&#x27;s growing influence.The State Department provided no details of his schedule, but last year Rubio met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the ASEAN gathering. The two top diplomats spoke recently by telephone following Trump&#x27;s visit to China last spring.Iran will be on the agenda in Manila, with Asian countries -- particularly those that do not produce oil -- being hit hard by the conflict and its repercussions for traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.About 80 percent of the hydrocarbons passing through the waterway are bound for Asian countries, according to the International Energy Agency.At a Cebu summit in May, the leaders of the 11 Southeast Asian countries discussed creating a shared fuel reserve, according to Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, whose country holds ASEAN&#x27;s rotating chairmanship this year.Rubio is expected to meet Marcos as part of a strengthened US partnership with the Philippines, with the contentious issue of the South China Sea certain to come up. The waters are disputed by several members of the bloc and China.Incidents regularly occur between vessels in the area, nearly all of which Beijing claims, despite an international ruling that its position has no legal basis.<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/17/ph-officials-condemn-chinese-state-media-video-racism-has-no-space-in-society-1316">READ: DFA formally protests China Daily&#x27;s &#x27;racist&#x27; depiction of Filipinos in AI propaganda video</a></div>The situation in Myanmar is also expected to be discussed.ASEAN foreign ministers on Sunday called on their Myanmar counterpart to make &quot;concrete&quot; progress on a peace plan aimed at ending the country&#x27;s civil war.Myanmar has been largely sidelined within ASEAN since a 2021 military coup.China is Myanmar&#x27;s main ally and one of the few countries to have backed the junta since the overthrow of Aung San Suu Kyi&#x27;s elected government.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio travels to the Philippines next week to meet with his Southeast Asian counterparts, the State Department said Friday, as the rekindled war with Iran places traditional American allies under economic strain.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio travels to the Philippines next week to meet with his Southeast Asian counterparts, the State Department said Friday, as the rekindled war with Iran places traditional American allies under economic strain.

Rubio heads to PH, to meet ASEAN counterparts in bid to reaffirm partnerships

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Rubio heads to PH, to meet ASEAN counterparts in bid to reaffirm partnerships

Agence France-Presse

Published July 18, 2026 09:30 AM PHT

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United States

Philippines

Southeast Asia

Marco Rubio

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Association of Southeast Asian Nations

ASEAN

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