US Secretary of State Marco Rubio heads to Asia next week on a high-profile diplomatic tour, but his visit is not expected to ease growing anxiety in Southeast Asia, which is bracing itself for the return of steep US tariffs that threaten to derail growth and test ties with Washington.
Rubio is expected to fly to Kuala Lumpur for meetings on July 10-11 with foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and other Asia-Pacific countries, according to media reports.
He reportedly cancelled plans to head to Japan and South Korea to attend to a visit to Washington by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to discuss an end to the war in Gaza.
The Asia trip will mark the highest-level visit to the region by a US official since President Donald Trump returned to office in January – but expectations remain low for any immediate economic reprieve.
Trump first announced his sweeping “Liberation Day” tariffs on April 2, imposing up to 50 per cent duties on imports from certain countries. A 90-day pause was granted to allow for negotiations, but is set to expire on July 9.
