China’s premier is on a charm offensive as ASEAN summit protests Beijing’s aggression at sea

By EDNA TARIGAN and JIM GOMEZ
Associated Press

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — In talks with Southeast Asian leaders Wednesday in the Indonesian capital, Chinese Premier Li Qiang underscored his country’s importance as the world’s second-biggest economy and as the top trading partner of the region. Li cited China’s long history of friendship with Southeast Asia to counter renewed alarm over Beijing’s aggression in the disputed South China Sea. Close calls and rising tensions there have involved multiple ASEAN members. It’s also become a delicate frontline in the U.S.-China rivalry. The South China Sea conflicts do not directly include the rest of the ASEAN, and questions have been raised about the bloc’s failure to condemn China’s aggressive acts.