U.S. call for South China Sea 'freeze' gets cool response from China

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Binh Minh (R) shake hands during the ASEAN-CHINA Ministerial Meeting at the Myanmar International Convention Centre (MICC) in Naypyitaw, August 9, 2014. REUTERS/ Soe Zeya Tun

NAYPYIDAW (Reuters) - A U.S. proposal for a freeze on provocative acts in the South China Sea got a cool response from China and some Southeast Asian nations on Saturday, an apparent setback to Washington's efforts to rein in China's assertive actions.

To China's annoyance, the United States is using a regional meeting in Myanmar this weekend to step up its engagement in the maritime tension by calling for a moratorium on actions such as China's planting of a giant oil rig in Vietnamese waters in May.