East Asia Summit opens in Vientiane, Laos

Leaders from the member countries of the ASEAN and other regional powers are discussing a range of security issues at a summit meeting in the Laotian capital of Vientiane.

Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov are also taking part in the East Asia Summit that opened on Friday.

A key topic is the situation in the East and South China Seas, where China has increased its presence. The agenda will also cover other issues.Laos, the chair of this year's series of ASEAN meetings, is planning to compile a statement after Friday's meeting.