S. China Sea tensions torpedo Asia defence chiefs statement

US-Chinese tensions over the South China Sea have forced a meeting of Asia-Pacific defence ministers to scrap plans for a joint statement after Beijing opposed mention of the hot-button issue, diplomats said Wednesday. The impasse at the Kuala Lumpur defence dialogue marks the latest fallout from a confrontation between Washington and Beijing over China's expansive claims to the strategic South China Sea and its construction of artificial islets to back them up. It was not immediately clear how