Top diplomats from Southeast Asia convened on Saturday in the Laotian capital with their powerful dialogue partners in the last of the three-day regional talks that have grappled with tensions over territorial claims in the South China Sea, escalating fighting in Myanmar, and regional rivalry.

Meetings on Saturday in Vientiane brought together in the same room allies of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations “including the US, China, Russia, Japan, India and Australia” to bolster their relationships and discuss key security issues and other regional affairs.