MANILA, Philippines — The United States on Friday reaffirmed its interests in the South China Sea as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and China move to accelerate negotiations on a long-awaited Code of Conduct (COC) for the disputed waterway. US Ambassador to Asean Kevin Kim said Washington respects the regional bloc’s negotiations with China but stressed that any agreement should not undermine US interests. READ: PH wraps up Asean Minitertial Meetings with key regional agreements “Any outcome must not undermine the interests of the United States because the US has critical interests and stakes in the South China […]...Keep on reading: US reaffirms South China Sea stake as Asean-China talks advance