Star Metro - Rubio departs for whirlwind Asia trip overshadowed by tariffs

The brief trip to Kuala Lumpur is intended to allow Rubio, who is also President Donald Trump's national security advisor, to focus on US policy in Asia after months of Washington concentrating on conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.

"In his first trip to Asia as Secretary of State, Secretary Rubio is focused on reaffirming the United States' commitment to advancing a free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific region," spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said in a statement, using Washington's traditional wording on curbing China's growing influence in the region.

A senior State Department official told reporters that prioritizing and reaffirming Washington's commitment to East Asia and Southeast Asia "is in America's interest."

"I think there's been a lot of outreach, a lot of engagements, and I wouldn't judge the level of interest and priority based solely on how many physical trips there have been," the official said on condition of anonymity.

As with any trip to Asia by a US official, China will be the elephant in the room amid concerns over its expansionist behavior in the South China Sea, which the United States deems to be provocative.

- 'Rebalance' trade relationships -

But this visit also comes as many countries around the world fear the imposition of punitive tariffs. Sweeping levies Trump announced in April were mostly suspended, as Washington engages in negotiations with friends and foes alike.

On Monday, Trump said he would impose 25 percent tariffs on key US allies Japan and South Korea and a handful of others, including Southeast Asian nations Malaysia (25 percent) and Laos (40 percent), as of August 1.

Export-dependent Vietnam, which like Malaysia and Laos is a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), is one of the few countries to already reach a tentative agreement with Washington that spares it the high level of levies that Trump had threatened.

At a summit in late May, Southeast Asian leaders expressed their deep concern at Trump's protectionist offensive.

The senior US official said the issue was expected to be raised, and that Rubio would likely tell ASEAN that the United States wants to "rebalance" its trade relationships.

Rubio's visit to Kuala Lumpur Thursday and Friday coincides with that of his Russian and Chinese counterparts, Sergei Lavrov and Wang Yi.

While there, Rubio is scheduled to attend a meeting with his counterparts from ASEAN and with a gathering of both ASEAN and East Asian foreign ministers.

Last week, Rubio welcomed foreign ministers from Australia, India and Japan to Washington, where they pledged to work together to ensure a stable supply of critical minerals.

China's domination of such resources -- essential to new technologies -- is causing increasing concern in western Europe and the United States.

Y.X. Gagnon--SMC