New U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed China's "dangerous and destabilizing actions in the South China Sea" with his Philippine counterpart on Wednesday and underscored the "ironclad" U.S.

The meeting, bringing together representatives of the four largest militaries in the Indo-Pacific, was a clear signal that the Trump administration will intensify military preparations and threats directed at China.

On his first full day as secretary of state, Marco Rubio is meeting with his counterparts from a group of countries known as the Quad: the United States plus India, Japan and Australia, representing nearly 2 billion people and more than a third of global GDP.

China indicated that sanctions on US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wouldn’t impact official exchanges, in a sign that Beijing seeks to negotiate with the Trump administration over trade and other disputes.

Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio warned during his confirmation hearing Wednesday that it will take China less than 10

Foreign Affairs Minister Sugiono and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio exchanged views on maritime security in the South China Sea.

They say they fought too hard to wrest it from the U.S. to now hand back the waterway, which is part of the nation’s identity.

Reich also criticises Trump's executive order to end birthright citizenship - where anyone born in the US becomes a citizen - saying it's a violation of the US constitution: "Decent people could lose their citizenship... children could lose their parents...some parents may not have the right papers."

The Trump administration has shut down processing centers in Central and South American countries that allowed migrants to apply to come to the United States legally.

Less than 24 hours after U.S. President Donald Trump was sworn into office on Monday, new Secretary of State Marco Rubio met foreign minister counterparts from America’s closest allies in the Indo-Pacific - the so-called “Quad” with Australia,