South China Sea, Myanmar on Agenda as Blinken Heads to Laos
- Asean summit comes as China tensions ride high in disputed sea
- Philippine leader says he no plans to meet with China’s Li
Antony Blinken
Photographer: Valerie Plesch/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
A US delegation led by Secretary of State Antony Blinken will raise concerns with Asian leaders over growing South China Sea tensions and the civil war in Myanmar at a regional summit in Laos.
Blinken’s attendance at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit this week is one of his last opportunities to convey Washington’s regional interest in person ahead of the November presidential election in the US. Other leaders joining the summit include Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japan’s new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.