John Kerry says Laos keen to avoid militarisation of South China Sea
File photo: A ship (top) of the Chinese Coast Guard is seen near a ship of the Vietnam Marine Guard in the South China Sea.
VIENTIANE: Laos wants to see maritime rights respected and avoid a military build-up in the South China Sea, US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday, after a meeting with Laos' Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong.
Laos is the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) grouping in 2016 and hosts a summit later in the year that will include the leaders of the United States and China.
"He was very clear he wants a unified ASEAN and he wants maritime rights protected, and he wants to avoid militarisation and to avoid conflict," Kerry told reporters on a visit to Laos.
He was responding to a question whether Laos would take a strong line on territorial disputes in the South China Sea as ASEAN chair.
(Source :economictimes.indiatimes.com)
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