Manila — On Tuesday, Beijing urged Southeast Asian nations to unite and "say no" to outside forces seeking to interfere in the South China Sea dispute, in an apparent swipe at the US ahead of a regional summit. Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi made the statement in Manila where he hailed the "strong momentum" in improving ties with the Philippines, a long-standing American ally which has moved closer to China under President Rodrigo Duterte. Wang’s visit came a week before he was set to return to Manila for a meeting of foreign ministers from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and its partners, which include China and the US. Wang said warming relations between Beijing and Manila had helped ensure stability in the South China Sea, where rival claims have long made it one of Asia’s potential military flashpoints. "If there are still some non-regional forces or forces in the region that don’t want to see stability in the South China Sea and they still want to...
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