The top diplomats of the United States and China met in Manila on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, to prepare for a planned visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to the US in September. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held their talk on the sidelines of a gathering of Southeast Asian nations called ASEAN.

Rubio, who was in Manila from July 19 to 23, described the US-China relationship as one with "great differences" likely to last "for the foreseeable future." He said both sides discussed managing those disagreements so Xi has a "very positive visit" to the United States. According to an official Chinese summary, Wang told Rubio that the US must "respect China's core interests … effectively manage differences and disagreements, and address China's legitimate concerns." China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the talks "pragmatic, positive and constructive."

The meeting happened amid several sources of tension. President Donald Trump has accused China of meddling in US elections, which Beijing called "pure fabrication." Two other issues hung over the ASEAN gathering: China's actions in the disputed South China Sea, and the US war against Iran. Southeast Asian countries raised concerns about both.

Just two days before the Rubio-Wang meeting, Chinese and Philippine ships clashed at a disputed reef called Second Thomas Shoal on Monday, July 20, and a Philippine sailor was injured. The Philippines said a Chinese coastguard member hit a Philippine navy staff member on the head with a wooden baton. China said Philippine personnel attacked first and accused Philippine vessels of ramming a Chinese patrol boat. Rubio said the fight benefited nobody and said Washington is bound by a mutual defence treaty — a formal agreement to defend the Philippines if it comes under attack — declaring, "We intend to live up to our treaty obligations."

The US has been putting real money behind that promise. Washington increased military financing for the Philippines to $100 million for fiscal year 2026. A State Department fact sheet detailed an extra $9 million to expand a coastguard pier on the island of Palawan to "enhance Philippine maritime law enforcement presence and sustain operations in the South China Sea." On Tuesday, July 21, Rubio published an opinion piece in Philippine media warning of "dire new threats" if the South China Sea were to "fall under the control of a power willing to use commerce as a geopolitical weapon."

The South China Sea dispute is not a new flare-up. It is a long-running disagreement over who controls the waters. Beijing claims sovereignty over nearly the entire South China Sea through a line on its maps that reaches into waters also claimed by Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. These countries, working together through ASEAN, have tried for years to agree on a binding set of rules to prevent conflicts at sea, but those negotiations remain unresolved.

The broader picture here is one of two tracks running at the same time. On one track, Washington and Beijing are visibly preparing for a summit, with both sides using calm diplomatic language about pragmatism and preparation. On the other track, the South China Sea is seeing real physical confrontations. A sailor hit with a baton, a coastguard pier expansion, and $100 million in military financing are not background noise — they are the concrete ground where great-power rivalry and local sovereignty disputes meet.

The Manila meetings also gave Southeast Asian nations a chance to air their own worries. Rubio called the ASEAN summit the United States' "primary way of engaging the region," and his attendance at several ASEAN-related meetings reinforced that message. ASEAN states did not limit their concerns to China; they also raised the Iran war, suggesting that Southeast Asian governments see instability in the Middle East as a threat to their energy supplies and trade.

Wang Yi's trip to the ASEAN meetings came up at a Chinese Foreign Ministry press conference on July 20, where spokesperson Lin Jian answered questions about the agenda and Rubio's attendance. The parallel messaging from both capitals — Washington stressing treaty obligations and regional engagement, Beijing stressing "core interests" and "constructive" talks — fits a familiar pattern in US-China diplomacy. Each side publicly holds its ground while quietly laying the groundwork for a meeting between their leaders.

What sets the September summit preparation apart from routine diplomatic staging is how many disputes remain unresolved. Election meddling allegations, active maritime confrontations, a separate US war in the Middle East, and competing visions for how the region should be run all sit on the agenda. The Rubio-Wang meeting did not solve any of these. It confirmed that both governments want to keep the September visit on track anyway — and that both are willing to take the political heat of sounding cooperative while their forces remain in confrontation.

For Southeast Asian nations, the situation is more urgent. They are caught between a US military presence that is growing through funding and infrastructure, and a Chinese presence that is active on the water. The Manila gathering gave them a chance to raise those concerns directly with both powers. Whether either power changes its behavior in response is a question the September summit may begin to answer.