US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday he had "positive" talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and expressed hope for a meeting between the presidents of the rival superpowers.

"I thought it was very constructive and positive meeting," Rubio told reporters after meeting Wang on the sidelines of ASEAN talks in Malaysia, and said there was a "strong desire" for a meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.