(CNN)President Barack Obama called Tuesday for a halt to any new construction or militarization of Asia's oceans and reaffirmed the U.S. right to operate freely in international areas.
Speaking at the close of a meeting with Southeast Asian leaders in California, Obama pressed for a "halt to reclamation, new construction and militarization" of Asia's oceans, an indirect reference to China's rapid construction in the South China Sea of air strips and ports that could have military uses.