U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Southeast Asian leaders Friday that the U.S. is concerned about China's "increasingly dangerous and unlawful" activities in the disputed South China Sea during an annual summit meeting and pledged the U.S. will continue to uphold freedom of navigation in the vital sea trade route.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned Beijing's "increasingly dangerous" actions in the South China Sea as he met leaders of the ASEAN bloc in Laos on Friday."We remain concerned about China's increasingly dangerous and unlawful actions on the South and East China Seas,

Southeast Asian leaders have stepped up pressure on China to respect international law following clashes in the disputed South China Sea.