Rubio Walks Diplomatic Tightrope in Southeast Asia

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at an unenviable diplomatic trip in Malaysia, the Trump administration’s U.S. State Department overhaul, and a new deal to allow aid into Gaza.

Fine Line

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Malaysia this week with an unenviable job: making nice with Southeast Asian powers at the same time that his boss was threatening them with punishing new tariffs.

Rubio was in Malaysia to meet with the foreign ministers of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) during the group’s two-day regional security forum that convened high-level officials from around the world, including Russia and China. Rubio’s task was clear: Make friends, stress U.S. President Donald Trump’s commitment to the region, and make the case for why Washington is a better partner than Beijing.

The problem is that many ASEAN member countries—including Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, Cambodia, and Indonesia—may also soon face aggressive new U.S. tariffs, putting Rubio in an awkward position. Trump earlier this week sent a raft of letters to world leaders threatening tough new measures, enraging many governments and leaving others confused.

Rubio, for his part, attempted to distance himself from trade decision-making and framed the latest threats more positively. “I would say that when all is said and done, many of the countries in Southeast Asia are going to have tariff rates that are actually better than countries in other parts of the world,” he said.

But his audience may not be so convinced, especially because Rubio only ultimately stayed in the region for around 36 hours—a sharply truncated version of the three-country tour that was originally planned. Rubio canceled his visits to U.S. allies Japan and South Korea in order to attend White House meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this week, though he did meet with Japanese and South Korean officials while in Malaysia.

That it was conflict in the Middle East—Netanyahu’s meetings in Washington focused mostly on U.S. efforts to secure a cease-fire in Gaza—that had pulled Rubio away from his longer planned Asia trip was likely not lost on the countries in the region. And in his remarks to the gathered ASEAN foreign ministers on Thursday, Rubio tried to assuage concerns that Washington was once again being distracted from focusing on Asia by concerns in other parts of the world.

“I would say distraction is impossible,” Rubio said. “This century, and the story of the next 50 years, will largely be written here in this region.”

While in Malaysia, Rubio also met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and the two shared a “very constructive, positive meeting,” Rubio said afterward.

When asked by a reporter whether Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping would soon meet, Rubio struck an optimistic tone. “The odds are high. I think both sides want to see it happen,” he said. “I don’t have a date for you, but I think it’s coming.”

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What We’re Following

Official overhaul. The State Department has begun to lay off more than 1,300 employees as part of a broader—and controversial—agency overhaul that the Trump administration says will help eliminate bureaucratic bloat and more closely align the agency with the president’s “America First” agenda. More than 1,100 civil servants and 251 foreign service officers are being impacted, according to an internal department notice seen by Foreign Policy. The State Department has a total domestic workforce of around 18,000 employees.

“We will drain the bloated, bureaucratic swamp, empowering the Department from the ground up,” Rubio wrote in a Substack post detailing the reorganization in April. “Redundant offices will also be removed, and non-statutory programs misaligned with America’s core national interests will cease to exist.”

The Trump administration’s overhaul has sparked fierce criticism from Democratic lawmakers, who warn that the cuts will hurt U.S. interests during a time of high geopolitical stakes.

“This is one of the most ridiculous decisions that could possibly be made at a time when China is increasing its diplomatic footprint … Russia is continuing its years-long brutal assault of a sovereign country, and the Middle East is careening from crisis to crisis,” Sen. Tim Kaine said in a post on X.

Dire crisis. Israel and the European Union have reached a deal that would allow much-needed humanitarian aid to flow into the Gaza Strip, where more than 57,000 people have been killed since the war between Israel and Hamas began on Oct. 7, 2023, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Israel severely restricts aid flows into Gaza on claims that Hamas siphons off supplies, which the United Nations and aid agencies dispute. Since March, no fuel has been allowed into Gaza—threatening humanitarian operations—and it was only in May that Israel decided to resume the flow of a “basic quantity” of food into the territory.

“This deal means more crossings open, aid and food trucks entering Gaza, repair of vital infrastructure and protection of aid workers,” Kaja Kallas, the EU’s top diplomat, said in a post on X. “We count on Israel to implement every measure agreed.” EU foreign ministers must now approve the agreement, and then it will likely take several days to coordinate.

The agreement comes as an Israeli strike in Gaza killed 16 civilians—including 10 children and two women—who were waiting outside of a health clinic on Thursday. In just the last six weeks, the U.N. rights office has recorded about 800 killings in the vicinity of aid distribution sites and convoys.

Trade war. Trump announced on Thursday a 35 percent tariff on Canadian imports starting on Aug. 1, throwing a wrench into ongoing talks between the two countries. Canada wouldn’t be the only country to face tougher U.S. measures: Trump sent many letters to world leaders outlining new tariff levels this week, including a 50 percent tariff on Brazil.

In his letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, which was posted to Truth Social, Trump accused Canada of having “financially retaliated” with its own countermeasures and repeated unsubstantiated claims about Canada’s role in the U.S. fentanyl crisis. If Ottawa raises its tariffs on the United States, Trump said, that value would also be added to Washington’s 35 percent tariff. “These Tariffs may be modified, upward or downward, depending on our relationship with your Country,” he added.

Carney vowed to continue talks with Washington. “Throughout the current trade negotiations with the United States, the Canadian government has steadfastly defended our workers and businesses,” he said in a post on X. “We will continue to do so as we work towards the revised deadline of August 1.”

What in the World?

Roughly how many people gathered at Thailand’s Khao Kheow Open Zoo to celebrate pygmy hippo Moo Deng’s first birthday on Thursday?

(A) 6,000
(B) 12,000
(C) 18,000
(D) 24,000

Odds and Ends

For decades, tourists visiting Canada’s Parliament have also made sure to visit a less official—but no less wonderful—local attraction: a colony of cats. The colony, which at one point had as many as three dozen members, lived by Parliament and was cared for by a small group of volunteers. Now, that tradition is ending, as the last member of the colony has passed away. Coal, a black cat with yellow eyes, died this month after battling cancer, according to a Facebook page for him. “He was a feline gentleman with a heart of gold,” the page said.