(AP photo)HANOI: US President Donald Trump said on Sunday he was prepared to mediate between claimants to the South China Sea, where five countries contest China's sweeping claims to the busy waterway. Trump acknowledged that China's position on the South China Sea was a problem. The South China Sea was discussed in Beijing on an earlier leg of Trump's 12-day Asian tour and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the United States and China had a frank exchange of views. Satellite photo shows Chinese-controlled North Island, part of the Paracel Islands group in the South China Sea, on Sept 29, 2017. From Vietnam, Trump flies to the Philippines for a meeting with Asean leaders before he heads back to Washington.

Source: Bangkok Post November 12, 2017 05:15 UTC