MANILA (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama and regional leaders plan to raise the South China Sea dispute at a summit meeting this weekend in Kuala Lumpur, Obama's main Asia policy adviser Daniel Kritenbrink said on Thursday.
Kritenbrink was speaking to reporters at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Manila, where hosts Philippines did not raise the dispute to avoid embarrassing China at a meeting that was primarily aimed at discussing economies and trade. Beijing has overlapping claims with Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei in the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year.