Dhaka, July 11 -- U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to hold a crucial meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday, as tensions continue to escalate between Washington and Beijing over trade, regional security, and China's support for Russia's war in Ukraine.

The high-level meeting, confirmed by the U.S. State Department, comes as Rubio concludes his two-day visit to Malaysia for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) security summit - his first official trip to Asia as secretary of state. It will mark his first face-to-face meeting with Wang.

Rubio's meeting with Wang follows a separate discussion in Kuala Lumpur with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, during which both sides explored options to rev...