US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed concern over China's "increasingly dangerous and unlawful" activities in the South China Sea during a meeting with ASEAN bloc leaders on Friday.

Blinken, in his opening speech at the US-ASEAN summit, said: "We remain concerned about China's increasingly dangerous and unlawful actions on the South and East China Seas, which have injured people, harmed vessels from ASEAN nations and contradict commitments to peaceful resolution of disputes."

Blinken, filling in for President Joe Biden, told the Southeast Asian leaders gathered in Laos that the United States will "continue to support freedom of navigation and freedom of overflight in the Indo-Pacific."

'More urgency in ASEAN-China negotiations needed'

Tensions are high in the disputed South China Sea, amid escalating confrontations between Chinese vessels and those from the Philippines and Vietnam.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said at the summit on Thursday that his country "continues to be subject to harassment and intimidation" by China.

He said China's actions caused the region to remain tense, adding that Beijing was violating international law.

The South China Sea, a vital global trade route, is claimed almost entirely by China, despite overlapping claims from Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei, as well as Taiwan.

The Philippines called for more urgency in ASEAN-China negotiations on a code of conduct to govern the South China Sea, a cause seconded by Malaysia, who takes over the rotating ASEAN chair next year.

Beijing has rejected a 2016 international arbitration ruling by an UN-affiliated court in The Hague that invalidated its broad territorial claims, while continuing to build and militarize islands under its control.

Blinken urges China to avoid 'provocative' actions against Taiwan

Blinken on Friday also asked China to refrain from any "provocative" action against Taiwan after Beijing reacted strongly to a speech by Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te.

On Thursday, Lai vowed in a speech to "resist annexation or encroachment upon our sovereignty." China later warned that such "provocations" would result in "disaster" for Taiwan.

Blinken urged both parties to preserve the status quo and not take actions to undermine it.

"China should not use it in any fashion as a pretext for provocative actions," Blinken told reporters. "On the contrary, we want to reinforce — and many other countries want to reinforce — the imperative of preserving the status quo, and neither party taking any actions that might undermine it." 

The US diplomat pointed out that peace and stability in the region are paramount to maintaining the global economy given the trade that passes through the region.

China remains defiant over claims

On Thursday, Chinese Premier Li Qiang struck a defiant tone, repeating China's assertion that it was merely protecting its sovereign rights in the region, officials said.

Li also said that "external forces" were trying to "introduce bloc confrontation and geopolitical conflicts into Asia." 

Although Li did directly name any country, Beijing had in the past questioned the US' role in the issue.

The US has no claims in the South China Sea but has deployed navy ships and fighter jets in the area, challenging China's assertions over the disputed waters..

Meanwhile, the topic of Myanmar was also discussed during the ASEAN meeting. The Myanmar junta has sent a representative to the summit for the first time in more than three years.

ss/rmt (AP, AFP)