South-East Asia deadlocked as South China Sea split deepens

VIENTIANE: Southeast Asian nations were deadlocked Sunday over how to confront sabre-rattling in the South China Sea as pressure from Beijing again drove a wedge between countries on the region’s most contentious security issue.

The gathering in Vientiane is the first time regional players -- including China and the United States -- have met en masse since a UN-backed tribunal delivered a hammer blow to Beijing’s claim to vast swathes of the strategic sea.