Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations met with other regional powers in Laos on Friday for the East Asia Summit. The talks highlighted the rift between the US and China over South China Sea issues.
Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov took part.
They discussed issues including North Korea and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Some also expressed concerns over Beijing’s growing presence in the East and South China Seas.
Diplomatic sources say Blinken referred to dangerous actions in the South China Sea and said international law should be respected.
Li insisted China has always followed international law and has appropriately dealt with differences in opinions with the countries involved.
On Ukraine, some participants condemned Russia’s invasion, but its foreign minister, Lavrov, showed no specific reaction.
Sources say it is expected there will be no joint statement by the leaders due to the differences in positions among the participants. Laos plans to release a chair’s statement instead.