Summits 'not venue' for sovereignty discussion

The East Asia Summit and its relevant forums are "not proper venues" to discuss South China Sea issues, China's Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

The United States has recently expressed on several occasions its interest in adding regional issues onto the agenda of a series of top-level international forums, mostly economic, that US President Barack Obama will soon attend, including the APEC, ASEAN and East Asia summits.

"The East Asia Summit and relevant meetings focus on regional cooperation and development," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at a regular news conference. "They are not an appropriate place for discussing the South China Sea issue."