U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Southeast Asian leaders Friday that the U.S. is concerned about China’s “increasingly dangerous and unlawful” activities in the disputed South China Sea during an annual summit meeting,

VIENTIANE, Laos -- Southeast Asian leaders stepped up pressure on China to respect international law following clashes in the disputed South China Sea, but Chinese Premier Li Qiang was defiant during annual summit talks on Thursday as he blamed "external forces" for interfering in regional affairs.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang has called for deeper market integration with Southeast Asia during annual summit talks where territorial disputes in the South China Sea are likely to be high on the agenda.

At the 21st ASEAN-India Summit, PM Modi announced a strategic 10-point plan commemorating ten years of India’s Act East Policy.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr pressed Southeast Asian leaders and China at a regional summit on Thursday to urgently speed up negotiations on a code of conduct for the South China Sea, while accusing Beijing of harassment and intimidation.

Southeast Asian leaders have stepped up pressure on China to respect international law following clashes in the disputed South China Sea.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned Beijing's "increasingly dangerous" actions in the South China Sea as he met leaders of the ASEAN bloc in Laos on Friday.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Southeast Asian leaders Friday that the U.S. is concerned about China's "increasingly dangerous and unlawful" activities in the disputed South China Sea during an annual summit meeting and pledged the U.