Foreign ministers from the 10 countries of the Association of South East Asian Nations say they are "seriously concerned" by recent developments in the disputed South China Sea region and will seek a meeting over the issue with China.
At the end of their annual retreat, held this year in the Lao capital of Vientiane, they also reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace, security and stability in the area.
The strategically important South China Sea is at the centre of a territorial dispute involving China on one side, and a number of ASEAN countries on the other, including Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia.
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