Southeast Asian Leaders Have Expressed Their Serious Concern Over Escalating Maritime Disputes In The South China Sea, Just Days After Vietnam And The Philippines Challenged China In Separate Incidents In The Potentially Energy-Rich Waters. In A Final Statement From A Summit In Burma, Also Known As Myanmar, The 10-Member Association Of Southeast Asian Nations Urged The Parties To Resolve Disputes By Peaceful Means. Chinese And Vietnamese Ships Collided Last Week In A Dispute Over Beijing's Placement Of An Oil Rig In Contested Waters. Carl Thayer, Professor Emeritus At The University Of New South Wales, Tells VOA's Victor Beattie The Relocation Of The Oil Rig By China Was Unexpected Given Improving Relations With Hanoi.