MANILA: A clash in the South China Sea threatened to overshadow a meeting of Southeast Asian nations on Tuesday as the United States condemned “dangerous” Chinese actions in the contested waterway.
The US statement came minutes after Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in the Philippines, where the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is expected to tackle issues including civil war-torn Myanmar’s ongoing pariah status.
Before departing Washington on Monday, Rubio said he was open to the possibility of a sideline meeting with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi, who will also be in Manila.
In an op-ed published Tuesday morning in the Philippines, Rubio touted Washington’s commitment “to freedom of navigation in Southeast Asia” and the regional defensive umbrella it has provided.
“This freedom is by no means guaranteed. If these waters were to fall under the control of a power willing to use trade as a geopolitical weapon, both the United States and the ASEAN states would face serious new threats to their sovereignty, security, and economic future,” he wrote, in a clear allusion to China.
