U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there were “areas of potential cooperation” between Washington and Beijing, and stressed the importance of managing differences, following his first in-person meeting with his Chinese counterpart as he wrapped up a two-day regional security forum in Malaysia.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi for the first time during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations conference as relations between the United States and China remain tense.

The two major powers vied to push their agendas in Asia at a time of simmering tension over a U.S. trade tariffs offensive.