U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet with Southeast Asian counterparts on Thursday in his first visit to Asia since taking office, and will try to reassure them the region is a priority for Washington, even as President Donald Trump targets it in his global tariff offensive, Reuters reported.

Washington’s top diplomat will meet foreign ministers of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations gathered in Kuala Lumpur, and also hold talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov who is in the Malaysian capital, according to the U.S. State Department.

Rubio’s trip is part of an effort to renew U.S. focus on the Indo-Pacific and look beyond the conflicts in the Middle East and Europe that have consumed much of the Trump administration’s attention, with Rubio balancing dual responsibilities as secretary of state and national security adviser.

However, Trump’s global tariff strategy is likely to cast a shadow over the trip, after the president announced steep tariffs to take effect on August 1 on six ASEAN members, including Malaysia, as well as on close Northeast Asian allies Japan and South Korea.

Rubio will nevertheless seek to firm up U.S. relationships with partners and allies, who have been unnerved by the tariffs, and is likely to press the case that the United States remains a better partner than China, Washington’s main strategic rival, experts said.

“This is significant, and it’s an effort to try to counter that Chinese diplomatic and economic offensive,” said Victor Cha, president of the geopolitics and foreign policy department at Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Rubio will also meet with Lavrov later on Thursday, according to the U.S. State Department schedule. It would be the second in-person meeting between Rubio and Lavrov, and comes at a time when Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with Russian President Vladimir Putin as the war in Ukraine drags on, read the report.

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi is also expected to join talks from Thursday, but it was unclear if Rubio would meet with him.

A senior U.S. State Department official told reporters on Monday that among Rubio’s priorities on the trip was reaffirming Washington’s commitment to the region, not just for its sake but because it promotes American prosperity and security.

“It’s kind of late, because we’re seven months into the administration,” Cha said of Rubio’s trip. “Usually, these happen much sooner. But then again, it is extraordinary circumstances. But I guess better late than never.”

Security cooperation is a top priority, including the strategic South China Sea, and combating transnational crime, narcotics, scam centers, and trafficking in persons, said the State Department official, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

As well as their unease about Trump’s tariff policies, many in the Indo-Pacific have doubts about the willingness of his “America First” administration to fully engage diplomatically and economically with the region.

Trump said this week he would impose a 25% tariff on Japan and South Korea and also took aim at ASEAN nations, announcing a 25% levy on Malaysia, 32% on Indonesia, 36% on Cambodia and Thailand, and 40% on Laos and Myanmar.

Trump has also upset another key Indo-Pacific ally, Australia, which said on Wednesday it was “urgently seeking more detail” on his threat to raise tariffs to 200% on pharmaceutical imports.

According to a draft joint communique seen by Reuters, ASEAN foreign ministers will express “concern over rising global trade tensions and growing uncertainties in the international economic landscape, particularly the unilateral actions relating to tariffs.”

The draft, dated Monday, before the latest U.S. tariff rates were announced, did not mention the United States and used language similar to an ASEAN leaders’ statement in May. Both said tariffs were “counterproductive and risk exacerbating global economic fragmentation.”

The State Department official said Rubio would be prepared to discuss trade and reiterate that the need to rebalance U.S. trade relationships is significant.

The export-reliant ASEAN is collectively the world’s fifth-biggest economy, with some members beneficiaries of supply chain realignments from China. Only Vietnam has secured a deal with Trump, which lowers the levy to 20% from 46% initially.

A person using artificial intelligence to mimic the voice of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly contacted multiple foreign ministers and American officials last month, posing as the nation’s top diplomat.

According to a confidential diplomatic cable reviewed by Reuters, the individual used AI-generated voice cloning technology to impersonate Rubio and reached out via the encrypted messaging app Signal.

At least three foreign ministers, one U.S. governor, and one member of Congress were targeted in the scheme.

In several cases, the impersonator left voicemails that sounded convincingly like Rubio and attempted to initiate follow-up communication. One target received a message encouraging them to move the conversation to Signal, a tactic often used in social engineering campaigns to avoid detection.

A State Department spokesperson confirmed that the agency is investigating the incident and has begun alerting foreign governments through diplomatic channels. While no official comment was given on the identity of the impersonator or their motives, officials familiar with the matter said the incident has raised fresh concerns about AI-enabled disinformation, especially targeting diplomatic and political figures.

“We are aware of the impersonation attempts and are actively working to determine the source and intent behind them,” a senior State Department official said on condition of anonymity.

There is no indication that classified information was accessed, but the incident has renewed calls within the department and Congress for tighter authentication protocols in sensitive communications.

Not the first incident

This is not the first time high-profile political figures have been impersonated using AI-enhanced techniques.

In 2023, a deep fake video of President Joe Biden surfaced online during the early stages of the presidential primary season. In the video, Biden appeared to discourage voters from participating in a key state’s primary election.

The clip, later exposed as a Russian-linked disinformation operation, was widely shared before being removed. U.S. intelligence agencies concluded it was part of an attempt to undermine democratic trust and influence political discourse.

Similarly, in late 2022, a deep fake audio recording surfaced purporting to capture Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urging his forces to surrender to Russia. That recording was broadcast briefly on hacked regional television channels before it was debunked by Kyiv and NATO officials.

In 2024, impersonators used a cloned voice of French President Emmanuel Macron to contact European officials ahead of a major EU security summit, though no major security breach was reported. That episode prompted several European governments to review their secure

communication procedures, particularly for ministers and heads of state.

Experts warn that the growing accessibility of voice-cloning and deep fake video tools poses a significant threat to diplomatic integrity, national security, and public trust.

“With just a few minutes of audio, a bad actor can create a convincing replica of a government official,” said Dr. Elise Warren, a cybersecurity and AI researcher at Georgetown University.

“These impersonation attempts are no longer crude. They’re increasingly indistinguishable from real communication unless verified through multi-factor authentication.”

The incident involving Rubio comes amid growing pressure on the U.S. government to implement standards for authenticating official communications, especially across messaging apps commonly used by diplomats and lawmakers. Some agencies have already begun deploying digital watermarking tools and blockchain-based identity verification systems to prevent manipulation.

As of Tuesday evening, Rubio’s office had not issued a public comment on the impersonation attempt.

Rubio, a former senator from Florida, was appointed Secretary of State in early 2025 by President Donald Trump during his second administration. He has been at the center of high-stakes negotiations in recent months, including talks with NATO allies and Pacific partners.

U.S. President Donald Trump, hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday, said the United States had scheduled talks with Iran and indicated progress on a controversial effort to relocate Palestinians out of Gaza.

Speaking to reporters at the beginning of a dinner between U.S. and Israeli officials, Netanyahu said the United States and Israel were working with other countries who would give Palestinians a “better future,” suggesting that the residents of Gaza could move to neighboring nations.

“If people want to stay, they can stay, but if they want to leave, they should be able to leave,” Netanyahu said.

“We’re working with the United States very closely about finding countries that will seek to realize what they always say, that they wanted to give the Palestinians a better future. I think we’re getting close to finding several countries.”

Trump, who initially demurred to Netanyahu when asked about the relocating of Palestinians, said the countries around Israel were helping out. “We’ve had great cooperation from … surrounding countries, great cooperation from every single one of them. So something good will happen,” Trump said.

The president earlier this year floated relocating Palestinians and taking over the Gaza Strip to turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East.” Gazans criticized the proposal and vowed never to leave their homes in the coastal enclave. Human rights groups condemned the plan as ethnic cleansing.

Trump and Netanyahu met for several hours in Washington while Israeli officials continued indirect negotiations with Hamas aimed at securing a U.S.-brokered Gaza ceasefire and hostage-release deal.

Netanyahu is due to meet Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday morning.