New Secretary of State Marco Rubio told China's foreign minister on Friday that the U.S. would put the American people first and promote U.S. interests in its relationship with Beijing.

Tensions between the U.S. and China have been rising for some time now, and Rubio's appointment has widely been seen as a sign that Trump plans to maintain a hard line on China during his second term. One of the most outspoken China hawks in Washington, Rubio has introduced several bills targeting the Chinese Communist Party.

Secretary of State Rubio spoke with China's Director of the CCP Central Foreign Affairs Commission and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio encouraged Vietnam to address its trade imbalances with the US in a call with Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed concern about Beijing’s coercive behavior against Taiwan and aggression in the South China Sea in his first formal call with Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday,

He’s being undermined by fellow Republicans, and that’s before he shows up to lead a workforce Trump distrusts.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Central America for his first trip as the top US diplomat. Rubio is expected to depart late next week for Panama, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said.

The Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict was on the agenda of newly appointed U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s phone call with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan reported by the U.S. State Department on Thursday.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is preparing to travel to Panama, Costa Rica, Guatemala and other Central American countries, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce confirmed to CBS News.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Panama and four other countries in Central America and the Caribbean starting late next week during his first overseas trip as Washington's top diplomat,

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio clashed with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi over Taiwan on Friday, with Donald Trump’s top diplomat denouncing Beijing’s ‘coercive’