U.S.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told his Southeast Asian counterparts on Thursday that
China is taking advantage of the world's preoccupation with the
Coronavirus pandemic to push its territorial ambitions in the South China Sea.
Pompeo made the accusation in a meeting via video to discuss the outbreak with the foreign ministers of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Beijing’s expansive territorial claims in the South China Sea conflict with those of ASEAN members Vietnam, Brunei,
Malaysia, the Philippines and
Indonesia, and are contested by
Washington, which has an active naval presence in the Pacific.