China hosts 10-nation ASEAN meeting

China hosts 10-nation ASEAN meeting

CHINA has hosted Southeast Asian defence ministers, while expectations grow that the US might directly challenge Chinese claims in the South China Sea.

THE meeting in Beijing marks the first time China has hosted such a gathering. Four of the countries from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations taking part have claims to seas and islands in the South China Sea that clash with Beijing's own.

Originally published as China hosts 10-nation ASEAN meeting