AKIPRESS.COM - South East Asian defence ministers meeting in Malaysia have failed to agree on a closing statement for their summit, amid a row over Chinese activity in the South China Sea.

Some of the nations attending the summit in Malaysia wanted the statement to include a reference to China's controversial land reclamation work.

But US officials said China had lobbied hard for the issue not to be mentioned.

China in turn accused "certain other countries" of interfering.

In recent years China has been aggressively staking its claims in the resource-rich South China Sea by reclaiming land and building airstrips and facilities on disputed reefs, angering neighbours who have overlapping claims.

The US and others have accused China of militarisation, but China says the construction is legal and for civilian purposes, reports BBC.