As ASEAN summit closes, South China Sea issues linger
  • 11 years ago
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STORY: An ASEAN summit closed in Cambodia on Tuesday after heated debates over the South China Sea.

Host country Cambodia handed over the rotating chairmanship to Brunei who will host the meetings next year.

The series of ASEAN meetings covered issues ranging from regional security to trade and included the East Asia Summit on Tuesday which was attended by leaders of the United States and China.

U.S. President Barack Obama urged Asian leaders to rein in tensions in the South China Sea and other disputed territory but stopped short of firmly backing allies Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam in their disputes with China.

The comments by Obama at a regional summit meeting illustrate how he intends to manage Sino-U.S. ties.

A decades-old territorial squabble over the South China Sea is entering a new and more contentious chapter, as claimant nations search deeper into disputed waters for energy supplies while building up their navies and military alliances with other nations, particularly with the United States.
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