Biden says won't veer into conflict with China, as first summit ends in Asia

U.S. President Joe Biden told Asian leaders connected Sunday that U.S. lines of connection with China would enactment unfastened to forestall conflict, arsenic the archetypal of 3 summits of satellite leaders this week came to a close.

Addressing the East Asia Summit successful Cambodia, Biden said the United States would vie with China and talk retired implicit its quality rights record, but stressed the value of bid successful the Taiwan Strait and ensuring state of navigation successful the South China Sea.

Biden besides condemned Russia's "brutal and unjust" penetration of Ukraine and the threats of North Korea's rocket tests, the White House said, and called connected Myanmar's subject rulers to travel a bid program they agreed to with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

On China, Biden told the acme that "the United States volition vie vigorously.... portion keeping lines of connection unfastened and ensuring contention does not veer into conflict," the White House said successful a statement.

The Southeast Asia portion is besides hosting the Group of 20 (G20) Summit successful Indonesia's Bali this week, up of which Biden will conscionable Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping for the archetypal clip since taking office, with relations betwixt the 2 superpowers astatine their worst successful decades.

The warfare successful Ukraine is expected to fig prominently successful discussions successful Bali and astatine the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum successful Bangkok astatine the extremity of the week, arsenic good arsenic planetary clime commitments, nutrient information and tensions implicit the Taiwan Strait, the South China Sea and North Korean rocket launches.

Eighteen countries accounting for fractional the planetary system attended Sunday's East Asia Summit, including the ASEAN nations, Japan, South Korea, China, India, the United States, Russia, Australia and New Zealand.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is representing President Vladimir Putin astatine the summits and connected Sunday accused the West of militarising Southeast Asia to incorporate Chinese and Russian involvement successful a cardinal geostrategic battleground.

"The United States and its NATO allies are trying to maestro this space," Lavrov told a quality league successful Phnom Penh.

He said Biden's Indo-Pacific strategy, which the U.S. president was promoting heavy astatine the meeting, was an effort to bypass "inclusive structures" for determination cooperation.

At a abstracted quality conference, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his little discussions the erstwhile time with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang were constructive and positive, amid anticipation of a ceremonial acme with Xi.

Like state the United States, Australia's ties with China person besides deteriorated successful caller years.

"I person said repeatedly astir the narration with China that we should cooperate wherever we can," Albanese said. "And that dialog is ever a bully thing."