US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is prepared to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of this week's Association of Southeast Asian Nations meetings in the Philippines, a series of gatherings overshadowed by escalating tensions among major powers.
Rubio, who is visiting the Philippines from July 19 to 23, said Sunday he is open to encounters with both his Chinese and Russian counterparts during the foreign ministers' sessions. Lavrov is scheduled to be in the Philippines from July 21 to 23. Washington seeks to counter China's growing regional influence in Southeast Asia.
Rubio previously met Wang Yi on the sidelines of an ASEAN gathering in Kuala Lumpur last year. The diplomatic engagement comes as US President Donald Trump recently accused Beijing of interfering in the 2020 election during a prime-time address on election security.