"We remain concerned about China's increasingly dangerous and illegal actions in the South China Sea and East China Sea that injure people, damage ASEAN vessels and contradict commitments to peacefully resolve disputes," Blinken told Southeast Asian leaders gathered in Laos.
"The United States will continue to support freedom of navigation and freedom of overflight in the Indo-Pacific region," he said.
Blinken said the United States hoped to work with ASEAN leaders to "protect stability in the Taiwan Strait," where tensions have risen again after China this week condemned the self-ruled democracy's president's remarks.
Blinken is representing the United States at the annual meeting of Southeast Asian nations, where China has heard directly from leaders that it is concerned about the troubled South China Sea.
The Philippines has been troubled by violent incidents since Beijing laid claim to the strategic waterway.
Another important topic at the summit is Myanmar, whose military junta sent a representative to the ASEAN summit for the first time in more than three years. Myanmar's delegation joined the meeting with Blinken, but it was unclear whether there was any direct interaction between them.
Blinken said he wanted to discuss Myanmar's "deepening crisis," a rare use by the U.S. of the country's official name rather than the former Burma.
Blinken also called for toughness against Russia's "war of aggression" in Ukraine ahead of the East Asia summit, which will be attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. | BGNES
