Southeast Asian countries want the US to play a role in maintaining peace in the South China Sea, Vietnam said, pushing back against Beijing’s comments that American forces were destablizing the region. “We welcome the US’s constructive and responsive contributions to Asean’s efforts to maintaining the peace, stability and developments in the South China Sea,” Vietnam Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh said Thursday during a virtual summit between representatives from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Secretary of State Michael Pompeo. Vietnam holds the bloc’s rotating chairmanship. Southeast Asian countries were open to opportunities for practical cooperation with the US in the region, Minh said. Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei and Malaysia have been locked in territorial disputes with China that have impacted their ability to extract fish, oil and gas from offshore areas.

Vietnam backs US role in South China Sea, rebuffing Beijing. (2020, September 11 - 12). BusinessWorld, p. S1/10.