ASEAN states warned over US provocation

Increased maritime problems involving the United States could hijack the interests of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and its members, according to a regional expert.

The comment was made ahead of a two-day gathering with ASEAN leaders hosted by US President Barack Obama on Monday at the Sunnylands estate in California.

Washington stirred tensions in the South China Sea at the end of January when a US navy destroyer intruded in Chinese waters off the Xisha Islands. It was quickly forced away by the Chinese military.