Vietnam’s prime minister has urged a greater U.S. role in preventing militarization and island-building in the South China Sea, the government said on Tuesday, in a rare call for Washington’s support to curb Beijing’s maritime expansionism.

During a summit of Southeast Asian countries in California on Monday, premier Nguyen Tan Dung suggested to U.S. President Barack Obama that Washington uses a stronger voice and “more practical and more efficient actions”, in comments likely to rile China.

Tension has spiked since Beijing’s construction of seven islands in the Spratly archipelago.

“Prime Minister Dung suggested the United States has a stronger voice and more practical and more efficient actions requesting termination of all activities changing the status quo,” the government said on its news website.

The statement did not specifically name China, but it said Dung was referring especially to “large-scale construction of artificial islands” and “militarization”.

With a large U-shaped line on its official maps, China claims most of the South China Sea. Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Brunei and Vietnam have rival claims.

Obama and allies from Southeast Asia will turn their attention to China on Tuesday on the second day of a summit intended to improve trade and provide a united front on maritime disputes with Beijing.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-asean-vietnam-southchinasea-idUSKCN0VP1L5