SINGAPORE -- A draft version of the chair's statement for this week's East Asia Summit reflects members' varying stances toward the U.S. and China, making nods to both powers but avoiding any direct mention of their regional initiatives.
A copy obtained by Nikkei on Tuesday calls for an open, transparent, comprehensive and rules-based approach in the Indo-Pacific region. This language is reminiscent of the "free and open Indo-Pacific" advocated by the U.S., Japan and Australia, but that phrasing is not used.
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