Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi for the first time during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations conference as relations between the United States and China remain tense.

Rubio’s meeting with Yi in Malaysia on Friday ended his first official trip to Asia.

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Rubio said the U.S. tariffs imposed on many Asian countries, including the heaviest levies on China, were a top complaint at the summit. But many also focused on their security and how the U.S. could help them, with China as a growing power.

“Of course, it’s raised. It’s an issue,” Rubio said. “But I wouldn’t say it solely defines our relationship with many of these countries. There are a lot of other issues that we work together on, and I think there was great enthusiasm that we were here and that we’re a part of this.”

The administration views China as a top power that can challenge it in trade and technology, but it has tried to stifle China with massive tariffs, which have been paused while the countries negotiate.

The 90-day pause is set to expire in August. The two sides have yet to produce a trade solution and haven’t made concrete progress. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said last month that “China needs to be a reliable partner in trade negotiations.”

The secretary of state met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday to discuss new options for Ukraine peace talks. Rubio told reporters after Thursday’s talks that the two sides had discussed a “new and different approach” to peace efforts over Ukraine.

“I wouldn’t characterize it as something that guarantees peace,” he said, “but it’s a concept that I’ll take back to the president.”

There have been questions about whether China has supported Russia throughout the war in Ukraine. Rubio accused China of helping Russia rebuild “its military industrial sector.”

“I think the Chinese clearly have been supportive of the Russian effort, and I think that, generally, they’ve been willing to help them as much as they can without getting caught,” Rubio said Thursday, adding that the topic would be discussed if he and Wang met.

Yi has slammed America for its tariffs on both countries’ Asian allies, while Rubio has pressed for cooperation, such as the signing of a civil nuclear cooperation agreement with Malaysia.

“The U.S. is abusing tariffs, wrecking the free trade system and disrupting the stability of the global supply chain,” Wang told his Thai counterpart Maris Sangiampongsa, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.

He also told Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Prak Sokhonn that the tariffs are “an attempt to deprive all parties of their legitimate right to development.”

“In the face of a turbulent global situation, China is willing to be Cambodia’s trustworthy and reliable friend and partner,” he added.

The Russian and Chinese foreign ministers also met and warned the U.S. about creating division and “instigating confrontation in the region.”

“Russia and China both support ASEAN’s central role in regional cooperation, are committed to maintaining peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, and are wary of certain major powers creating divisions and instigating confrontation in the region,” they said, according to Russia’s foreign ministry.

Australia, a longtime U.S. ally, seemed to back the U.S. in discussions about China’s rising power.

“We want to see a region where no one country dominates and no country is dominated,” Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong told reporters when asked about China. “We want to see a region where there is a balance of power … where there is no coercion or duress.”

She added that Australia will maintain a stable relationship with China.

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China’s foreign ministry said Rubio and Yi agreed to maintain cooperation while acknowledging their differences.

Wang told Rubio that China hopes the U.S. will view China with an “objective, rational and pragmatic attitude” and that America will formulate a policy of “peaceful coexistence.”