ASEANEWS HEADLINE-ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meet | MANILA: Rubio says US ‘will never abandon’ Asean
The flags of the 11 Southeast Asian countries dispplayed for the ASEAN Tourism Forum Opening 2026
WATCH VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vw4Te5pdcig
ASEAN foreign ministers meet in the Philippines
(L-R) Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow, East Timor’s Foreign Minister Bendito dos Santos Freitas, Vietnam Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minitser and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, Brunei Foreign Minister Abdul Mateen Bolkiah join hands during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Pasay, Metro Manila on July 22, 2026. Agence France-Presse.
.
.
MANILA, Philippines — United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to Asean, saying the US “will never abandon” its partners in the regional bloc.
Rubio said the US partnership with Asean is in Washington’s national interest.
“As President Trump stated last year, we’re with Asean 100 percent,” Rubio said at the Asean Post-Ministerial Conference with the United States in Manila. “Our relationship with each country represented here today is in the national interest of the United States.”
Rubio said the US government would use “all available tools” to strengthen its engagement with Southeast Asia.
He said the United States is delivering $2.5 billion in US government strategic investments in the region.
He also cited the recent approval of $1.5 billion in new strategic investments through the US International Development Finance Corporation for aviation infrastructure, energy security and secure supply chains.
‘Not charity’
WATCH VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHU61OWULds
.
“This is not charity’: Rubio announces $2.5B US investment in Southeast Asia | ANC
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday (July 22) the United States is still willing to negotiate an end to the Iran crisis but Tehran is not serious about talks, as the widening conflict disrupted two of the world’s most critical energy choke points. Rubio made his comments in a meeting of Southeast Asian foreign ministers a day after three oil tankers carrying Saudi crude to Asia reversed course in the Red Sea, apparently in response to threats from Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis.
…..
“This is not charity,” Rubio said. “Our partnership with each of your countries in the region at large, it’s in the national interest of the United States, and we will never abandon it.”
Rubio described Southeast Asia as the region where “the story of the 21st century will be written.”
READ: Rubio in Manila as US hits ‘dangerous’ China actions
.
Rubio in Manila as US hits ‘dangerous’ China actions
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (left) and his wife Jeanette Dousdebes Rubio arrive at Ninoy Aquino International Airport on July 21, 2026, ahead of the Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. —Photo by Brendan Smialowski/Pool/Agence France-Presse
…
ASEAN 2026: Japan, US, China, Russia & Other Partners Join High-Level Foreign Ministers’ Talks |AQ1E
ASEAN Foreign Ministers gather in Manila, Philippines, for high-level meetings with key global partners, including India, the United States, China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Australia, the European Union, and others. The discussions focus on regional security, economic cooperation, maritime issues, trade, and pressing global challenges shaping the Indo-Pacific.
…
He said the United States aims to be among Asean’s “most trusted partners” as the region develops its digital economy, strengthens energy security and builds more resilient supply chains.
He also cited nearly $130 million in assistance for Asean countries for demining efforts and pledged continued US support for regional energy initiatives, including liquefied natural gas market development, the Asean power grid, civil nuclear energy programs and critical mineral supply chains.
Middle East tension
Rubio also addressed the situation in the Middle East.
He reiterated Washington’s willingness to negotiate with Iran but accused Tehran of failing to honor previous commitments.
He warned against any attempt by Iran to control shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, saying such a move would threaten freedom of navigation and set a dangerous precedent for international waterways.
READ: Rubio open to Russia, China meets on PH visit
“If we create a precedent … where a nation state can decide that they are going to control an international waterway, charge a toll, and if you don’t pay them, blow up your ships, we have created a very dangerous precedent,” Rubio said.
He said such a precedent would threaten global trade and commerce, adding that freedom of navigation in international waterways must be protected.
The meeting was cochaired by Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, Asean’s country coordinator for relations with the United States.
.
 |
It was hosted by the Philippines as this year’s Asean chair. /dl
.
.
.
Ads by:
