The United States on Saturday offered to host a meeting with Southeast Asian defence ministers in Hawaii next year, stepping up its efforts to counter growing Chinese influence in the region.
US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said at a security forum in Singapore that he will first meet his counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at a regional meeting in Brunei this year.
"This weekend, in my meetings here in Singapore, I am extending an invitation to ASEAN defence ministers to meet together next year in Hawaii," the Pentagon chief said.
"I believe this first-ever US-hosted meeting of ASEAN defence ministers will provide another opportunity for us to discuss a shared vision for a dynamic, peaceful and secure future for the region."
Four of ASEAN's 10 member states -- Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam -- as well as Taiwan are locked in territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea.
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