Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged Washington to view Beijing objectively and formulate its policy with the goal of peaceful coexistence, in a high-level meeting with his US counterpart in Malaysia on Friday.

The top diplomat and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met on the sidelines of the Asean foreign ministers' meeting in Kuala Lumpur. It is their first face-to-face talks since the American official took up his position earlier this year.

During the exchange, Wang had expressed that both sides should follow through on the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two major powers, and turning such agreements into "concrete policies and actions".

"[Wang] has hoped that the US will view China in an objective, rational and pragmatic manner, formulate its China policy with the goal of peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, deal with China with equality, respect and mutual benefit, and jointly find a correct way for China and the US to get along in the new era," a Foreign Ministry statement read.

The statement, published a few hours after the talks, also described the meeting as "constructive".

It noted that both sides agreed to strengthen dialogue, as well as to manage differences while expanding areas of cooperation.

Rubio for his part described the talks as "positive" and expressed the hope for a meeting between President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump.

"I thought it was [a] very constructive and positive meeting," Rubio told reporters after the hour-long talks, but stressed "it was not a negotiation".

"I think we left it feeling as there's some areas we're gonna be able to work together on."

While this was the pair's first face-to-face meeting, the top diplomats had spoken by telephone before.

During that phone conversation, Wang had expressed the hope that his American counterpart would make the right decisions and play a constructive role for global peace and stability.

The high-level, in-person exchange came at a time of trade tensions sparked by Trump's tariff roll-out.

Ahead of the talks, Wang called Washington's move to impose high tariffs on Asean countries "a typical act of bullying and unilateralism that no country would support".

Meanwhile, the Foreign Minister said Beijing is willing to strengthen cooperation with the Southeast Asian bloc to uphold the multilateral trading system, maintain the stability of global industrial and supply chains, and promote inclusive economic globalisation.

Wang also said China is willing to play a constructive role and maintain an "objective and impartial stance" in promoting peaceful relations between Thailand and Cambodia over their recent border tensions.

He told Thailand's foreign minister that both Southeast Asian countries are Beijing's good neighbours and friends, saying he hopes the two sides would handle the matter through dialogue and consultation to de-escalate tensions and restore stability as soon as possible.

In a separate meeting with his Cambodian counterpart, Wang said he understood that both sides were willing to calm the situation down, despite having different positions. (Additional reporting by agencies)