Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (AFP)-US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese top diplomat Wang Yi had a ‘positive’ meeting in Malaysia on Friday, both sides said, in an apparent bid to ease tensions between the rival powers.

Rubio and Wang’s first face-to-face meeting since US President Donald Trump returned to office came as Washington and Beijing are locked in disputes ranging from trade to Taiwan — and both countries vie for greater influence in the region.

“I thought it was a very constructive and positive meeting,” Rubio told reporters after the hour-long talks in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, but stressed “it was not a negotiation”.

“I think we left it feeling as there’s some areas we’re gonna be able to work together on.”

Rubio also expressed confidence that a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping would happen.

“There’s a strong desire on both sides to do it,” Rubio said, adding no date had been set.

Beijing in a separate statement said “both sides agreed that the meeting was positive, pragmatic and constructive”.

Both countries agreed to “enhance communication and dialogue through diplomatic channels… and explore expanding cooperation areas while managing differences,” China’s foreign ministry said.

The sit-down between Wang and Rubio, a longtime China hawk, came as Asian foreign ministers wrapped up three days of intensive talks at an Association of Southeast Asian Nations meet in Kuala Lumpur.

Top diplomats from Russia, the European Union, Britain and Canada also attended.

– ‘Massive deficits’ –

US officials said ahead of Rubio’s first trip to the region as secretary of state that Washington was “prioritising” its commitment to East and Southeast Asia.

While US tariffs overshadowed the gathering, Rubio said he was “warmly received” by Asian partners as he sought to placate concerns over the duties.

“If you look at some of these trade deficits, they’re massive. That has to be addressed,” Rubio said at the end of his whirlwind trip.

“Everybody here is a mature leader who understands that that’s not sustainable.”

Trump has threatened punitive tariffs ranging from 20 to 50 percent against more than 20 countries, many of them in Asia, if they do not strike deals with Washington by August 1.

ASEAN expressed “concern” over tariffs, which it described as “counterproductive” and a threat to regional growth, according to a Joint Communique released Friday.

Long-time US ally Japan faces a 25 percent across-the-board levy, separate from similar charges for cars, steel and aluminium that have already been imposed. South Korea faces a similar tariff.

Rubio met his Japanese and South Korean counterparts earlier on Friday, with his spokeswoman Tammy Bruce calling it an “indispensable relationship”.

Wang said on Thursday the US tariff drive “undermines the free trade system”.

“The United States’ imposition of high tariffs on Cambodia and Southeast Asian countries is an attempt to deprive all parties of their legitimate rights to development,” Wang said.

Tensions between the United States and China have ratcheted up since Trump took office in January, with both countries engaging in a tariff war that briefly sent duties on each other’s exports sky-high.