U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Southeast Asian leaders Friday that the U.S. is concerned about China’s “increasingly dangerous and unlawful” activities in the disputed South China Sea during an annual summit meeting.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang has called for deeper market integration with Southeast Asia during annual summit talks where territorial disputes in the South China Sea are likely to be high on the agenda

Regional conflicts are taking centre stage as ASEAN leaders wrap up their three-day summit in Laos. US top diplomat Antony Blinken reiterated calls for freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, while stressing the importance of developing strong ties with the bloc,