Informal meetings with ASEAN leaders proposed to build trust

China has proposed hosting informal meetings with Southeast Asian leaders, seeking to improve ties with ASEAN amid maritime disputes and to counter the United States' influence in the region.

At the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' meeting in Myanmar over the weekend, Foreign Minister Wang Yi proposed having an informal leaders' meeting in conjunction with the Boao Forum for Asia, held every April on Hainan Island, and the China-ASEAN trade fair, held in September in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

Wang said it would ensure "leaders have even closer interactions to build up trust, strengthen communication and lead cooperation", reported Xinhua News Agency on Sunday.