(L - R) Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen, the Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah, Indonesia President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Laos Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong, Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak and Myanmar President Thein Sein hold hands during the opening ceremony of the 21st ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and East Asia summits in Phnom Penh November 18, 2012. REUTERS/Samrang Pring
PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Southeast Asian nations displayed a rare show of unity on Sunday against China's sweeping maritime claims, calling for the first formal talks with Beijing over a sea dispute that has raised tensions and exposed deep divisions in the region.
As Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao arrived in Cambodia for meetings with Southeast Asian leaders, the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) appeared determined to avoid a repeat of an embarrassing breakdown of talks in July over competing claims in the mineral-rich South China Sea, its biggest security challenge.
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