India, Sept. 24 -- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the necessity of a planned visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Washington in September, arguing that communication between the two most economically powerful nations remains essential even as fundamental disagreements persist.

Meeting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday at the margins of an Association of Southeast Asian Nations gathering in Manila, Rubio emphasised that abandoning diplomatic engagement would prove strategically counterproductive regardless of bilateral tensions.

"We have to have a relationship," Rubio told reporters following the extensive bilateral discussion. "There are areas of great differences. Both sides will acknowledge that. We'll have...