Rubio to visit Philippines for ASEAN meeting, Myanmar issue likely to be discussed

The US State Department said on Friday that Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel R. Rubiao will visit the Philippines next week as part of an effort to reaffirm partnerships with Southeast Asian nations. Rubiao will attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Meeting to be held in Manila from Tuesday to Thursday. He also attended the ASEAN meeting held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, last year. State Department spokesperson Tom Pigott said the trip is an effort to advance the US's core priority policy of a "free and open Indo-Pacific region that delivers security, stability, and economic prosperity for the region and for the American people." For Washington, that policy also means an effort to counter China's growing influence in the region. The trip comes at a time of continued heightened military tensions related to Iran in the Middle East and economic pressures on America's traditional allies. It also comes just days after US President Donald Trump sharply criticized China on Thursday, accusing it of interfering heavily in US elections. The State Department has not yet released Rubiao's detailed itinerary. However, at last year's ASEAN meeting, Rubiao met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines. This year, Rubiao and Wang Yi also spoke by phone after President Trump's visit to China last spring. The Iran issue is also likely to be a topic of discussion at the Manila meeting. The Iran conflict and its impact on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz are causing economic pressure, especially on Asian countries that do not produce oil. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), about 80 percent of hydrocarbon fuels passing through the Strait of Hormuz are destined for Asian countries. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, this year's ASEAN chair, said that at a summit in Bangkok in May, leaders of 11 Southeast Asian countries discussed the establishment of a joint fuel reserve program. Rubiao is also expected to meet with Philippine President Marcos, and the South China Sea issue is likely to be a major topic of discussion, given the strengthening partnership between the US and the Philippines. The South China Sea is a body of water disputed by some ASEAN member states and China. China claims most of the waters, but international rulings have determined that China's claims lack legal basis. Clashes between ships are also frequent in the area. The Myanmar issue is also expected to be discussed at the meeting. ASEAN foreign ministers urged the Myanmar representative on Sunday to show "practical progress" on a peace plan aimed at ending the civil war in Myanmar. Myanmar has been largely sidelined within ASEAN since the 2021 military coup. China is Myanmar's main ally and one of the few countries that supported the Myanmar military junta after it overthrew the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi.