Rubio in bind as he seeks to reassure Asia, even as region faces punishing Trump tariffs

Questions over US commitment to the region coupled with Trump's tariff polices could be a boon to China

Even as they face among the most punitive tariffs globally, US secretary of state Marco Rubio has sought to reassure southeast Asian nations of Washington's commitment to the region, saying countries there may get better" trade deals than the rest of the world.

In his first official visit to Asia, Rubio met foreign ministers of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in Malaysia on Thursday, telling his counterparts the US has no intention of abandoning" the region.

His visit came days after president Donald Trump renewed his threat to impose severe tariffs across many southeast Asian countries if they did not strike deals by 1 August.