Southeast Asian defense chiefs meet in Laos as maritime disputes with China are flaring

Associated Press

VIENTIANE, Laos (AP) — Southeast Asian defense chiefs and representatives are meeting in Laos for security talks at a time of increasing maritime disputes with China in the Asia-Pacific and as the transition to a new U.S. president looms. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will join the meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations defense ministers in Vientiane on Wednesday, where many will be looking for assurances ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s return to power in January. The meetings are also likely to touch on tensions in the Korean Peninsula, the Russia-Ukraine war and the wars in the Middle East.