During the annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Laos, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused China of “increasingly dangerous and illegal” activities in the South China Sea. This is reported by TASS with reference to the Associated Press agency.
“We are deeply concerned about China’s increasingly dangerous and illegal activities in the South China Sea, which are harming people, ASEAN vessels and contradicting commitments to peaceful dispute resolution.” Blinken said.
He added that “the United States will continue to support freedom of navigation and freedom of overflight in the Indo-Pacific region.”
The United States remains the largest foreign investor in the region and is committed to strengthening its partnership with ASEAN, Blinken said.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations was founded in 1967. It includes ten Southeast Asian countries: Brunei, Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines.
Laos will chair ASEAN in 2024.
