During the East Asian Summit over the weekend the leader of every member state, with the exception of China, Cambodia and Burma, joined the US President in urging a multilateral resolution of the South China Sea dispute.
Although there are six countries involved in various disputes over maritime borders, China's claim is by far the most extensive and aggressively defended. Given its longstanding demand that its disputes with other Southeast Asian nations be resolved bilaterally - thereby excluding the participation of the US and maximising China's capacity to intimidate smaller claimants - this was a significant tactical defeat for Beijing.
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