U.S. Secretary of State attends ASEAN Summit in place of Biden... "Discussion on pending issues in South China Sea"

U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken will replace President Joe Biden for the ASEAN Summit in Laos.

The State Department said Blinken will visit Vientiane, Laos, for four days from the 8th to represent the United States at the ASEAN-related summit.

Blinken plans to address geopolitical issues at the meeting, including the Myanmar crisis, compliance with international law in the South China Sea and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Daniel Krittenbrink, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, told a briefing that China was raising tensions over the situation in the South China Sea and that it was aimed at pressuring several countries claiming sovereignty in the South China Sea.

He also said China's unprecedented support for Russia's defense industry was helping to invade Ukraine and said it would suppress China's actions along with Europe and several other partners in the future.