During the annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), held in In Laos, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken accused China of "increasingly dangerous and illegal" activities in the South China Sea. This was reported by TASS with reference to the Associated Press.
"We are very concerned about China's increasingly dangerous and illegal activities in the South China Sea, which harms people, ships of ASEAN countries and contradicts obligations to resolve disputes peacefully," Blinken said.
He added that "the United States will continue to support freedom of navigation and freedom of flight in the Indo-Pacific region."
According to Blinken, the United States remains the largest foreign investor in the region and seeks to strengthen its partnership with ASEAN.
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.
In 2024, ASEAN is chaired by Laos.