U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin expressed regret Wednesday that his Chinese counterpart chose not to hold talks with him during meetings of Southeast Asian defense chiefs in Laos, calling it a setback for the entire region.

United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Tuesday the Mutual Defense Treaty between Washington and Manila applies to armed attack in the South China Sea. The behavior of China has been concerning,

As the ramming of ships and use of water cannons dominated discussions, questions arose about the legality of China's actions A recent landmark dialogue on the South China Sea has underscored the lingering ideological divisions over the disputed waterway,