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US Secretary of State Blinken, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang are seeking to expand their countries’ influence in the region.

The top diplomats from Southeast Asia are grappling with tensions over the South China Sea, the escalating fighting in Myanmar, and regional rivalries as they meet in Laos.

The meetings on Saturday bring together allies of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) – including the United States, China, Russia, Japan, India and Australia – to bolster their relationships and discuss critical security issues.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in the capital, Vientiane, on Saturday and is expected to meet his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, as both countries look to expand their influence in the region.

Hours before those talks, Blinken hit out at China’s “escalatory and unlawful actions taken against the Philippines” in the South China Sea as he addressed the foreign ministers of the 10-member bloc.

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