French media RFI recently reported on U.S. Secretary of State Rubio's visit to Manila to attend the ASEAN-related Foreign Ministers' Meetings. As Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will also visit Manila, the view is emerging that this will "pave the way" for talks between U.S. President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The U.S. Department of State announced on the 17th that Secretary of State Rubio will travel to Manila from July 19 to 23 to attend the ASEAN-U.S. Foreign Ministers' Meeting, the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting, and the ASEAN Regional Forum Foreign Ministers' Meeting. Furthermore, it also stated that Secretary Rubio will meet with senior government officials from countries in the Indo-Pacific region.

The U.S. Department of State also stated that "the Secretary's visit aims to advance U.S. clear priorities: building a free and open Indo-Pacific and promoting safety, security, and prosperity for the region and the American people." Taking advantage of this visit, Secretary Rubio is expected to demonstrate the concrete achievements of the U.S.-ASEAN partnership and deepen the comprehensive partnership between the United States and the Philippines.

Externally, it is widely expected that Secretary Rubio and Wang Yi will hold talks in Manila. Representatives from both countries have met under similar circumstances before. However, neither the U.S. nor China has announced, as of the 18th, that their top diplomats will hold talks in Manila.

Among international affairs experts, voices are emerging that if Secretary Rubio and Foreign Minister Wang hold talks in Manila, the agenda will likely focus on preparations for the second summit meeting between President Trump and President Xi Jinping this year. The previous U.S.-China summit meeting took place in May. Trump has repeatedly stated that Xi Jinping will visit the U.S. at the end of September.

At the ASEAN-related forum, the tense situation in the South China Sea, a strategic focal point where territorial sovereignty disputes exist among many regional nations, is also expected to be discussed. These meetings are taking place on the 10th anniversary of the 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands, which stated that China's claims to rights in the South China Sea "have no legal basis under international law and violate international law." China has not accepted this ruling.

It was the Philippines that filed a case against China regarding the South China Sea issue with the Permanent Court of Arbitration. Now, on the 10th anniversary of the ruling, tensions are rising between China and the Philippines. Furthermore, Chinese media, among others, claim that countries like the United States and Japan are behind the Philippines, which continues to confront China over the South China Sea.