China hosts Southeast Asian ministers as it competes with US
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, officials from China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries attend the 19th Senior Officials' Meeting on the Implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) in Chongqing, southwestern China, June 7, 2021. China is hosting foreign ministers from 10 Southeast Asian nations this week in the southwestern megacity of Chongqing amid heightened competition between Beijing and Washington for influence in the region. (Wang Quanchao/Xinhua via AP)

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, officials from China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries attend the 19th Senior Officials' Meeting on the Implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) in Chongqing, southwestern China, June 7, 2021. China is hosting foreign ministers from 10 Southeast Asian nations this week in the southwestern megacity of Chongqing amid heightened competition between Beijing and Washington for influence in the region. (Wang Quanchao/Xinhua via AP)

Jun. 07, 2021 11:35 AM EDT
FIEL - In this Nov. 13, 2018, file photo, a worker adjusts the Brunei Darussalam flag prior the 22nd ASEAN coordinating council meeting on the sidelines of the 33rd ASEAN summit in Singapore. China is hosting foreign ministers from 10 Southeast Asian nations amid heightened competition between Beijing and Washington for influence in the region. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue, File)

FIEL - In this Nov. 13, 2018, file photo, a worker adjusts the Brunei Darussalam flag prior the 22nd ASEAN coordinating council meeting on the sidelines of the 33rd ASEAN summit in Singapore. China is hosting foreign ministers from 10 Southeast Asian nations amid heightened competition between Beijing and Washington for influence in the region. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue, File)

Jun. 07, 2021 12:10 AM EDT