U.S. President Donald Trump (right) and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands during a state dinner at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on May 14. [Reuters=Yonhap News]

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party) are scheduled to hold talks in Manila, Philippines, on the 22nd (local time), Reuters reported on the 21st.

A U.S. State Department official stated that day that Secretary Rubio and Minister Wang are set to meet in Manila.

The top diplomats from the U.S. and China are visiting Manila to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Meeting.

Preparations for the upcoming summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, slated for September, are expected to be the main agenda for this meeting.

President Trump previously announced that President Xi would visit the U.S. on September 24, but China has yet to officially confirm President Xi's visit.

Prior to the ASEAN meeting, Secretary Rubio told reporters that he expects President Xi's visit to proceed as scheduled, stating, "I see no reason why they wouldn't come."

President Trump and President Xi held a summit in Beijing, China, last May and spoke with one voice on expanding cooperation, but they were unable to narrow their differences on sensitive core issues, including the Taiwan issue.

In particular, with President Trump recently raising allegations of Chinese interference in the 2020 U.S. presidential election, this issue could become a new source of friction in bilateral relations. China has denied these allegations.

President Trump told reporters at the White House that day, "We will be discussing this issue (the election interference allegations) with China."