Rubio to visit Southeast Asia in bid to reaffirm partnerships

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio travels to the Philippines next week to meet with his Southeast Asian counterparts, the State Department said on Friday (Jul 17), as the rekindled war with Iran places traditional American allies under economic strain.The trip comes as the pace of strikes in the Middle East shows no signs of slowing, and just days after US President Donald Trump launched a sweeping attack Thursday on China - alleging Beijing carried out substantial meddling in US elections.Rubio is due to attend a meeting of foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Manila from Tuesday to Thursday. He attended last year's gathering in Kuala Lumpur.State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said the trip "advances a clear US priority: a free and o