That statement had expressed alarm over Beijing’s activities in the South China Sea. A State Department official over the weekend said the US would push for ASEAN to ease tensions over the South China Sea and find common ground. We’re back to the negotiating table.”A working draft of the current joint communique obtained by AFP on Saturday showed the section titled “South China Sea” as blank. by Martin ABBUGAOVientiane, Laos — Southeast Asian nations were deadlocked Sunday over how to confront sabre-rattling in the South China Sea as pressure from Beijing again drove a wedge between countries on the region’s most contentious security issue. Cambodia and Laos were later fingered as being behind moves to block the joint statement.

Source: Manila Bulletin July 24, 2016 05:48 UTC