US Secretary of State Marco Rubio began a meeting with his Chinese counterpart at a summit in Malaysia on Friday, the first in-person session between the two and a possible prelude to a presidential summit.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday he had "positive and constructive" talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, as the two major powers vied to push their agendas in Asia at a time of tension over Washington'stariff offensive.

Rubio described the meeting as “constructive” and that the two nations can learn to manage their differences while exploring areas of cooperation.

Steep tariff rates are set to go back into effect after a 90-day pause on the April 2 rates that rocked the stock market.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said trade talks could yield multiple deals by Sept. 1, citing a new U.S.-China agreement on rare earth shipments.

Citing sources, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump signed an executive order Tuesday that delayed the tariff hike on almost all U.S. trading partners until August 1 at the request of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent,