China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have agreed to submit a pact upgrading their free trade areas to their leaders for approval in October, according to China's foreign minister Wang Yi on Saturday.

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.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese top diplomat Wang Yi had a "positive" meeting in Malaysia on Friday, both sides said, in an apparent bid to ease tensions between the rival powers. Beijing said in a statement "both sides agreed that the meeting was positive,